Used To Be Mine
by Kittenshift17
Summary: *HIATUS* An insatiable crush on Sirius Black, a yearning for Remus Lupin and a Pack Bond they aren't meant to have spells nothing but sinfully delicious trouble for Hermione. When things go awry at the Ministry, Hermione is foisted back in time where suddenly the jaded, bitter, broken men she knew are just funny boys she happens to be in love with. Boys she plans to save.
1. Chapter 1

**IMPORTANT NOTE: This fic is a Triad-centric pairing between Sirius Black/Hermione Granger/Remus Lupin. And I mean that in every sense of the word. There will be slash content, as in guy on guy. There will be smut, including 2 guys, 1 girl and every possible variation of the three of them. There will be violence. There will be time-travel. There are squicky bits. If you can't handle any of those things, kindly depart, stage left. **

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A HUGE thank ShayaLonnie for helping me out with this fic. I would still be stuck puzzling over time loops, relativity theories and confusing time-jumps if it wasn't for her. She's truly amazing.

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 **Used To Be Mine**

 _By Kittenshift17_

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 **Chapter 1**

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 **2** **nd** **August 1995**

 **Number 12, Grimmauld Place**

Hermione Granger blushed as she tiptoed into the kitchen at Grimmauld Place in the early hours of the morning. She'd been trying to be as quiet as possible, having snuck downstairs from the bedroom she shared with Ginny on the second floor. She had come with the intention of making herself a nice cup of tea, clutching a book to her chest, dressed in her pale blue pyjamas, her purple robe fastened around her tightly. She'd meant to sneak down making as little noise as possible, not wanting to wake anyone or disturb the other occupants in the musty old house.

She didn't know why she'd awoken so early. It was barely even six yet, but nonetheless she had done so. She'd tried to lay in bed and read quietly but when she'd begun to get thirsty, Hermione decided to sneak downstairs rather than waking Ginny. She hadn't bothered getting dressed in her day clothes yet because her trunk had a creaky hinge that often woke Ginny.

She had expected that she would have the dark kitchen to herself at such an early hour of the morning. The Order meeting the previous night had run late and Hermione knew that even Mrs Weasley wouldn't be up just yet. That was why she froze in place as she entered the kitchen, her eyes landing on the dark haired wizard sitting at the kitchen table, already dressed for the day.

Sirius didn't look up at her stealthy entrance and Hermione tried to keep from blushing, scolding herself for the silly crush she'd developed on the man. It was foolish of her, she knew, not to mention wildly inappropriate. He was almost twenty years older than she was and had never showed even a skerrick of inclination that he cared about her at all beyond that of a strictly platonic relationship between an adult and a teenager still in school who was the best friend of his godson. Hermione had tried to tell herself she was just being silly and that she was only interested in him because he was so handsome and so witty. She would never act on it and even if she did, it wasn't as though Sirius was interested in her that way.

She was the best friend of his godson, for crying out loud. She was still just sixteen while he was thirty-five. Hermione wasn't deluding herself that there could be anything between them, but that didn't stop her thinking he was handsome. Currently he sat at the kitchen table, his hand absently trailing up and down the length of Crookshanks's back where the cat laid curled up in a ball on the table in front of the wizard. Hermione could tell from his faraway expression that Sirius was lost in deep thought. So deep that she forwent bidding him a good morning for fear of startling him too greatly.

Instead Hermione slipped across the room, tapping her wand to the side of the kettle to bring the water to a boil while she went about filling a teapot with some tealeaves. She glanced at Sirius surreptitiously, noticing he was still oblivious to her presence. She wondered if he'd like a cup of tea too. She didn't dare ask him when he was so far away, but noticing that he didn't have a cup in front of him, Hermione simply reached for a second tea cup, levitating all of the tea making requirements over to the table.

Sirius still didn't seem aware of her as Hermione slid into a seat beside him at the table, though Crookshanks lifted his head and peered at her intelligently, purring softly at the affection he was receiving.

"Sirius?" Hermione asked softly, her voice quiet in the dark kitchen so as to keep from startling him. Hermione suspected he heard her, because he turned to face his body in her direction slowly, but his eyes were still focused on the scarred and battered wood of the kitchen table. His eyebrows raised slowly, but Hermione knew he was still away with his thoughts.

"Sirius?" she tried again, a little bit louder this time, "Would you like a cup of tea?"

She watched as his lips tilted up at the corners slowly, but he was still away with the fairies. Hermione smiled a little, wondering what he was thinking about that had him so enthralled that he'd not noticed her. She almost didn't want to interrupt him any further. He looked far happier lost in whatever daydream had captured him than he usually did cooped up in this hellhole he'd once called his childhood home.

"Padfoot?" Hermione whispered, trying his nickname instead of his given name in the hopes that it might draw him more easily back into the world of the living. His eyes turned towards her this time, but still they were glazed with that faraway look of one who is reliving memories. Hermione found herself smiling gently as she reached out tentatively and touched his shoulder lightly.

She didn't shake him, instead she simply rested her hand on his shoulder with a gentle yet firm pressure designed to ground him. Hermione watched him come back to himself slowly at the feel of the unfamiliar touch on his shoulder. He didn't jerk or jolt in her grip, didn't gasp in surprise. Instead his eyes simply focused on her face as she peered at him through the dim light of morning. Neither of them had yet lighted any of the many candles in the room and the hearth had died during the night, leaving the room dim with only the faint light filtering in through one of the grimy windows to illuminate the pair.

Sirius blinked at her, but she didn't see any surprise in his expression. He simply peered at her for a moment before the small smile still playing on his lips widened into a full smile of greeting.

"Hermione?" he asked, blinking again and though he didn't show it, Hermione could tell from his expression that he was surprised to find her sitting next to him at the table with her hand on his shoulder, smiling indulgently at him.

"Good Morning," she murmured to him, feeling her cheeks turn pink at the cheerful smile he was giving her, "Would you like some tea?"

Sirius turned his eyes from her face towards the tea set she'd laid out on the table before them both. His hand still stroked Crookshanks' fur in an absent sort of way.

"How long have you been up?" he asked rather than answering her, frowning in confusion at the sight of the tea.

"A little while. You were faraway," Hermione smiled at him, reluctantly letting her hand fall away from his shoulder as she reached for the teapot to pour herself a cup before quirking an eyebrow at him to ask if he would like one as well. He nodded, holding his cup out towards her as she poured it for him.

"You have a gift for drawing a person out of their daydream in a gentle and calming sort of way," Sirius told her, complimenting her softly. Hermione blushed at that.

"I didn't want to startle you when you looked to be so lost," Hermione replied just as softly, picking up her teacup and sipping from it in an attempt to keep her hands from fidgeting nervously in her lap as he scrutinized her, those grey eyes fixed on her face.

"You did a good job of it. Usually Moony startles me out of my thoughts with a malicious sort of glee. He has a habit of sneaking up right next to me and shouting 'BOO!' in my ear," Sirius replied, smiling fondly, "I must admit I prefer your approach."

He was still watching her, his gaze holding hers and Hermione wondered how she seemed to him. Did he look at her and simply see the curly mess of hair she'd pulled into an unruly bun on top of her head, a slightly untidy appearance and mud-coloured eyes? Did he see a child, timid and shy and trying not to blush beneath his gaze? Hermione didn't delude herself into thinking he saw her any other way. He was old enough to be her father, something she often reminded herself of. She didn't even know when it was that she had developed her schoolgirl crush on the darkly handsome wizard sitting there watching her as he sipped his own tea. All she knew was that she had, and that she couldn't seem to shake the romantic notions that slipped into her mind at the idea that he might someday fancy her back.

When she had first come to Grimmauld Place, Hermione had found that Sirius was more flawed than she'd originally realised. He was reckless and at times incredibly immature. He was also rather selfish when it came to the relationships in his life, especially in regard to Harry. She also still disliked his treatment of Kreacher, the House-Elf, whom, for all his faults, nasty mutterings and bad habits was clearly just a senile elf that needed to be given clothes and released. She understood the reasons for Sirius not being able to do so, but it still bothered her when Sirius was cruel to the elf.

However, Hermione had also found herself analysing his behaviour and trying to understand why Sirius acted the way he sometimes did. She'd realised after much thought, that he was selfish in his relationships because he had spent so much time alone. He'd been only twenty-one when he'd gone to Azkaban, and suffering the grief that came with the death of his very best friend. It was hardly surprising that he jealously guarded the relationships he now had. He spent so much time a prisoner, and then even more on the run from the Ministry, and now cooped up in this terrible place, that Hermione could hardly blame him for wishing that Harry might be expelled and so have to move in here permanently. Poor Sirius no doubt craved the company of having others around after so long spent with no one but himself and his worst memories.

She had noticed too that his close relationship with Remus was one he took very seriously, for all their playing, due to the fact that had it not been for the mistrust they'd had for each other during the first war, he might never have gone to Azkaban. Hermione could tell that both men sought to repair the rift torn in their friendship during the thirteen years they'd been apart.

His recklessness seemed to be a carryover from his earlier life when he'd been young and carefree, and Hermione often wondered if his time spent in prison, influenced by the Dementors, had perhaps stunted his mental growth. It was entirely possible. After all, the man had spent twelve years of his life often reliving the worst memories of his youth.

"What are you doing up so early anyway?" Sirius asked her, drawing Hermione's attention back to the real world rather than her musings about the man before her.

"I couldn't sleep," Hermione admitted to him, "I tried reading in bed for a while, but I got thirsty…. How long have you been down here?"

Sirius looked mildly guilty at her question, his cheeks turning pink as he looked away from her.

"All night, I think," he muttered.

Hermione felt her heart constrict painfully in her chest. She could tell by looking at him that he didn't rightfully know how long he'd been sitting there and she wondered idly if maybe he was beginning to lose his mind after being so cooped up in this house for so long.

"I don't think so," Hermione said softly, looking at him critically, "You had different clothes on last night at dinner, and your eyes aren't bloodshot as though you've been awake all night."

She could tell she wasn't the only one wondering whether it was worse that he'd stayed down here all night or that he hadn't but didn't recall the hours he'd spent during the night. He'd clearly spent far too long trapped in this house and Hermione glanced around the dark kitchen with distaste. It was no wonder he was going stark mad cooped here. It wasn't the most appealing place in the world.

Clearly it had been once. Hermione could tell from the furnishings and the layout that this house had once been an aristocratic stately home, but that time and age and an abundance of crazy people dwelling within it had clearly not done it much good. How could Sirius stand to live here? How could she have thought badly of him for so often wanting to get out of here?

"Going mad in this place," Sirius muttered, almost to himself, "Don't even know what I do with myself half the time I'm here."

As she peered at him, Hermione found herself thinking on the rules Dumbledore had made about Sirius not leaving the house for fear of being spotted and reported to the Ministry. It was a fine rule to be sure, designed to protect Sirius and the Order and to keep him from being locked up again or from being captured by the Death Eaters. When she'd first been told of it, Hermione had thought it made sense to her, as most rules did.

However, as she looked at Sirius's slightly dishevelled appearance and his obvious agitation and depression at being locked inside, she found herself thinking that sometimes there were more important things than rules. For example there was a rule that at sixteen she shouldn't be using her wand outside of Hogwarts yet, but that rarely stopped her, when she was around other wizards, from pulling out her wand and using it. The rule was in place to prevent magical accidents because until they were of age a magical being didn't have full control over their magic.

Except that Hermione did and she knew she was safe to be using them. And thus far she'd managed to get away with it over the summer. She'd been developing a new state of mind regarding the rules and what was supposedly the right thing as she matured and as the Darkness of the Death Eaters and Lord Voldemort began to make itself more widely known. And she was realising that some of the rules that had existed in the past could no longer be followed without resulting in less fortunate circumstance than if they were to be broken.

As she looked at Sirius, who had begun doubting his own sanity due to his continued confinement, Hermione made a decision that this particular morning was one of those times. Glancing towards the front door furtively, Hermione felt herself begin to smile. She knew it was probably entirely because she had a crush on the frowning wizarding sitting next to her that she was so willing to risk breaking the rules, but Hermione decided it might be worth it if she could make him smile again.

Pulling her wand out of her pocket, Hermione began muttering the spells to transfigure her pyjamas into something more appropriate to wear outside on this early summer morning. She transfigured her pyjamas into a pair of denim jeans and a blue t-shirt, and her robe into a purple hoodie. Sirius was too busy staring moodily into his cup to notice, and so Hermione grinned to herself, suddenly feeling very spontaneous.

"Come on," Hermione said to him softly, reaching for his hand as she leapt to her feet, tugging him up as well.

"Hermione, what are you doing?" he asked, sounding completely baffled and eyeing her strangely to see her clothes suddenly changed. She was already tugging him by the hand towards to door of the house, whispering as they went past Mrs Black's portrait and the many stuffed elf heads and other portraits in the hall.

"Put this on," she whispered to Sirius, stopping at the coat rack to pick up the heavy black hooded cloak he'd worn the last time he'd accompanied them out of the house.

"Whatever for?" he asked, still confused though he took it from her just the same, eyeing her as if she had gone mad.

"If being stuck in the house is driving you 'round the twist, then the obvious answer is to get out," Hermione told him, waving her hands at him to hurry him into putting the cloak on.

"You're intending to sneak me out of the house?" he asked, and Hermione marvelled at the way the years seemed to fall off his face as a mischievous grin slipped across his handsome features.

"Yes, but we have to hurry, or someone will wake up and hear us. Come on!" Hermione hurried him, taking his hand and dragging him for the door even as he was still shrugging into the cloak. Sirius was chuckling softly by now but looked rather approving of such a reckless disregard for the rules.

The door creaked slightly as they opened it and a cold chill of early morning greeted the witch and wizard as they stepped out onto the doorstep. There was a heavy fog laying on the streets and lawns, indicating they would be in for another dismally hot day, but for now, Hermione preferred it. It meant there were less people to notice as she glanced sideways at Sirius on the top step, her hand still clutching his. He was watching her with an expression of amusement and expectation on his face, and Hermione knew he was ready.

Closing her eyes, Hermione visualised in her mind very clearly the place she intended to take him. She knew she shouldn't be apparating without a licence, but Hermione had secretly been practicing in the house after watching the twins do it plenty of times and studying up on it. She'd never mentioned it to anyone of course, but she was able to successfully apparate from the drawing room upstairs into the top most bedroom of the house that no one used without incidence. How much harder could it be to apparate out of the city?

Turning on the spot, Hermione visualized the little seaside village in Kent and felt the uncomfortable jerk behind her navel as she apparated them both to Herne Bay.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

 **Herne Bay, Kent**

They landed in a little wooded cove not far from a children's park Hermione recalled her parent's taking her to when she'd been a girl.

"I thought you were supposed to be the responsible one who never broke the rules," Sirius grinned at her as he pulled up his hood and began walking towards the deserted swing set of the playground. The fog swirled about his legs as he went and Hermione noticed that he had more of a bounce in his step than she'd ever seen.

"Only when following the rules does less harm than breaking them," Hermione replied, following Sirius over and dropping down on to the swing next to his, where he'd immediately begun to swing himself back and forth as though he was a little boy rather than a grown man. He looked positively gleeful.

"There's far more to you than most people realise, I think, Hermione," Sirius told her, swinging freely now and looking like Christmas had come early, "I can't say I know many witches not of age yet who can apparate so effectively either. And you're not supposed to be doing magic outside of Hogwarts. What's gotten into you?"

Hermione watched him, swinging herself on her own swing with far less vigour than Sirius, smiling at him fondly.

"I don't know," Hermione admitted, "You just looked so sad and so concerned about not knowing if you'd slept last night that I knew you needed to get out of the house."

"And you weren't concerned about breaking the rules set by Dumbledore to do it. You didn't even stop to think about it," he said, eyeing her strangely. Hermione felt her tummy swoop with excitement and nervousness. She could tell he was grateful to her for dragging him out of the house when in the past it had been her telling him he ought not to, and that he was impressed with her magical ability. He looked a little proud of her, Hermione thought to herself as she watched him swing higher and higher.

He was in danger of swinging so high that the swing was going to flip up and over to top of the swing set in a full three-hundred and sixty circle, but Hermione didn't say anything. She suspected from the wide grin on his face and the determined glint in his eyes that having it flip all the way around was his goal. He whooped when he managed it and Hermione found herself laughing along with him when he flipped all the way around and then launched himself out of the swing like he could fly as the seat flung forwards with his inertia.

He rolled as he hit the ground a few meters away, disappearing in the thick fog for a moment before he popped back up again this time in dog form. He barked at nothing and set off around the park at a bolt leaping over the seesaw and jumping up onto the top of the slide before he skidded down it, his tail thumping the metal as it wagged crazily. Hermione couldn't hold back her laughter at the sight of him when he leapt off the end of the slide with ease and dashed so quickly onto the seesaw that he ran up it and rode the pull of gravity back down without falling off.

She knew that if they were to get caught being out of the house by anyone back at Grimmauld Place, they would both be in terrible trouble. And given her penchant for rule following, Hermione suspected Sirius would bear the brunt of people's anger and frustration. But as she watched him look so happy and carefree, his tail wagging so hard that he was running wonkily, Hermione couldn't bring herself to regret her spur of the moment decision.

"Come on," she called, catching his attention from where Sirius had chosen to truly indulge the doggy side of himself by racing after a squirrel and chasing it up a tree, where he was barking at it madly while it chittered at him angrily.

"Sirius!" Hermione called louder when he ignored her, "Let's go and get some breakfast down by the pier."

He looked over at her as she waved her hands to get his attention and Hermione marvelled at his magical abilities as he transformed back into his usual self and strolled towards her looking delighted.

"Will anything even be open at this hour?" Sirius wanted to know, glancing at his pocket-watch.

"Of course it will. The pier is a tourist attraction," Hermione told him, "The cafés open early in the summer so they do more business with those individuals who are early risers. Or the poor souls with children."

Sirius chuckled at that, strolling beside her and looking positively delighted to simply be out of the house. He glanced around at everything, taking big deep breaths in through his nose as though savouring the scent of something other than dust and Mrs Weasley's cooking.

"I don't have any muggle money," he pointed out as they wandered along the boardwalk, eyeing the café menus for something good.

"Of course you don't," Hermione rolled her eyes at him, "But I do."

"You're going to buy me breakfast?" Sirius asked, raising his eyebrows in shock.

"Why not?" Hermione asked, "My parents gave me a muggle credit card for emergencies. I think the possibility of losing one's mind qualifies. Don't you?"

Sirius grinned widely at that, nodding his head though Hermione suspected he didn't know what a muggle credit card was.

"So," she said, "Where would you like to eat?"

Sirius glanced along the many café options. Most of them sold the same types of food.

"That one," he pointed and Hermione knew he liked it because of the brightly coloured umbrella-tables outside where they could sit and overlook the bay.

Smiling softly to herself, Hermione nodded her head in agreement.

"Table for two please," she told the serving girl who looked like she wanted to crawl back into bed, "One of these outside tables."

"I'll bring you some menus," the girl promised, waving them towards a table. Hermione watched the way Sirius threw himself into one of the chairs, his attention jumping about the many people and sights to enjoy.

"You look like a kid on Christmas," Hermione told him a little while later after they'd been given menus.

Sirius glanced at her, his grey eyes dancing with happiness and Hermione noted how very different he looked beyond the prison he'd been trapped in. She supposed that there must be a certain novelty to be outside the house. Not to mention to be free from Azkaban and entirely anonymous in public for a change. She could tell he was delighted about not needing to even hide his face.

"I'm surprised at you," he admitted as they both ordered some breakfast. Hermione requested pancakes, while Sirius insisted he wanted the big breakfast.

"Because I'm breaking the rules?" Hermione guessed, smiling a little in return, "I didn't get to be friends with Harry and Ron for nothing you know. I might have to be the voice of reason among the three of us, but I'm usually the one coming up with the ideas that break school rules or the law."

"Oh?" Sirius asked, quirking an eyebrow as though he wanted to hear the story.

"Well, in second year I tricked Professor Lockhart into signing a form for me so I could retrieve a book from the Restricted section," Hermione began, "Which I needed to get past Madam Pince to borrow _Moste Potente Potions_ in order to brew Polyjuice potion and sneak into the Slytherin common room to interrogate Draco Malfoy about the Heir of Slytherin."

Sirius looked impressed.

"That was your idea?" he asked, laughing now.

"What? You thought Ron came up with that one?" Hermione rolled her eyes, smiling her thanks when the waitress bought them a pot of tea.

"Thought maybe it was Harry's idea," Sirius admitted, "Used to be James coming up with the crazy ideas."

"I somehow doubt that," Hermione told him, "I think you had the crazy suggestions, he just had the bollocks to get you all acting them out."

Sirius's smirk was wicked at her words.

"Might've been," he admitted, "What about when you and Harry helped me escape? Your idea again?"

"No," Hermione told him, "That one was Dumbledore's idea. I was just the one with the Time-Turner."

"You had a Time-Turner in third year?" he asked sharply, "That's how you did it?"

"Didn't you know that?" Hermione asked him curiously.

"No. I just thought you'd somehow stolen Buckbeak and hunted me down."

Hermione shook her head.

"Buckbeak was supposed to be executed earlier the same afternoon. The first time around, I suppose he was. He was executed and you were given the Dementor's Kiss. And that wasn't alright. So we went back a few hours, stole Buckbeak and saved you."

Sirius looked impressed.

"I hear you faced down Moony after he'd transformed too," Sirius commented.

"We did. Well… Harry did. I might've cowered while Harry wrapped himself around me to protect me," Hermione admitted, blushing.

"Still," Sirius shrugged, "Takes a lot of guts to still talk to him and not be afraid of him."

"I'd known all year that he was a werewolf," Hermione shrugged, "It was hardly his fault."

Sirius eyed her thoughtfully for a little while after that, chewing his food as he regarded her speculatively.

"So tell me," he said finally, "Are you and Harry an item?"

Heroine choked on the mouthful of pancake she'd just eaten.

"No!" Hermione said, a little too loudly, "No. I mean, Harry's wonderful. We're great friends… But I think of him more as a brother than a potential boyfriend. Besides, Harry's interested in Cho Chang, from Hogwarts."

"Cho?" Sirius asked, clearly fishing for details.

"She's the year ahead of us," Hermione explained, "She plays Seeker for Ravenclaw. Harry started noticing her in third year when they played against each other. You probably saw the game. As I recall, you were hiding on the grounds at the time."

"Didn't he tell me she was dating Cedric Diggory?" Sirius asked, his face turning sombre.

"She was," Hermione confirmed, "I'm personally pulling for Harry and Ginny to get together. Ginny's been mad for him since the first time she ever met Harry."

"Is that right?" Sirius grinned.

"Don't tease her about it," she warned, "She'll thump me for telling you."

"I make no promises. Weasleys are funny when they get embarrassed," Sirius grinned, "So if you don't fancy Harry, then you must fancy Ron?"

"What makes you think I fancy either of them?" Hermione wanted to know.

"They're teenage boys," Sirius rolled his eyes, "And every girl alive gets completely infuriated with boys in their teens. Yet you put up with them. Experience with the fairer sex tells me that it's only ever done out of adoration and infatuation."

"Not this time," Hermione smiled, "Ron and I argue far too much for anything romantic."

"You should've seen the way James and Lily used to argue before James screwed his head on right," Sirius grinned, "Lily despised James. The rows they used to have could shake the windows of Gryffindor common room. She'd snarl and shriek at him about something – usually about us being cruel to Snivellus – and she'd always say something to make James annoyed enough to shout back."

"Maybe so," Hermione smiled, "But that's not for everyone. Besides. I've found that Ron's main interests lie in Quidditch, chess and food. And that doesn't exactly make for stimulating conversation."

"Most wizards like Quidditch, chess and food, Hermione," Sirius pointed out, grinning at her.

"Of course they do. And so do I. But sometimes I want to talk about something other than those things. I don't envision being able to do so with Ron unless it's when we're strategizing about some new mission against darkness that we're undertaking."

Sirius looked intrigued to hear that.

"Then what do you look for in a potential boyfriend?" he asked nosily, "Do you have a boyfriend?"

"Not currently," Hermione admitted, "I was dating Viktor for a little while, but long distance relationships are a hassle."

"Viktor?" Sirius queried curiously with a quirked eyebrow.

"Viktor Krum," Hermione supplied, her cheeks turning pink.

"The Bulgarian Quidditch seeker?" Sirius exclaimed, "The greatest Seeker the International League right now?"

Hermione nodded.

"And you're complaining about boys not caring about anything but Quidditch? After you dated a famous player?" Sirius scoffed at her around a mouthful of bacon, "You date an international Quidditch superstar and you're worried that boys don't talk about anything but Quidditch?"

"Actually, he preferred not to talk about Quidditch," Hermione admitted, nibbling on her pancakes, "He was a great player, but he really hated the publicity and the spotlight. I'm fairly certain the only reason he started to fancy me in the first place was because I was the only girl around who wasn't panting after him, trying to get his autograph or overly concerned with his career."

"What do international Quidditch sensations talk about then?" Sirius wanted to know, looking highly amused by her answer.

"We didn't do very much talking to be honest. Viktor's more of a physical being," Hermione said before clapping her hand over her mouth when a bark of laughter and a shocked expression crossed Sirius's face.

"Is that right?" he laughed, quirking one eyebrow and looking at her as though she'd just stepped out of the shower in the nude, making him realise she was female.

"I didn't mean… not like _that_!" Hermione hissed, swatting at him when he continued to laugh in amusement and her embarrassment while Hermione's cheeks flushed crimson.

"What like _that_ , Hermione?" he smirked wickedly at her, "How much do you know about _that?_ "

"More than you might think," she retorted defensively before covering her face with her hands when Sirius actually looked shocked at her reply, "Argh! Why are you so… so…."

"Handsome?" he offered, "Dashing? Charming?"

"Infuriating!" Hermione correct insistently.

"Infuriating?" he teased, "I'm the most fun you've ever had…. Well, maybe not _ever_ …"

"Stop," Hermione rolled her eyes, lifting her head to glare at him once more and finding him wiggling his eyebrows at her suggestively, "I didn't mean…"

Sirius's face was positively lit up with amusement and delight as he tormented her, looking like he was having the most fun he'd had in ages. Sighing, Hermione decided to focus on her breakfast rather than allowing him to continue embarrassing her.

"Little Hermione Granger," he taunted, "All grown up, breaking the rules and knowing more about _that_ than anyone might think. What is the world coming to that innocent little bookworms are willing to bust prison escapees from their cells and are getting frisky with international Quidditch players?"

"Sometimes I think about what it might be like to hex you, Sirius Black," Hermione informed him while she polished off her pancakes, shoving the remainder of her breakfast towards him when he finished his own and still looked hungry.

"You wouldn't hex me, love," he chuckled, "I'm too pretty."

"You're too smug for your own good, is what you are," Hermione retorted, accepting the bill from the waitress when she came by with it and tucking the right money inside it to pay for their breakfast.

Sirius watched her do it looking curious about muggle money and a bit put out over the idea of her buying him breakfast. Hermione could tell from his expression that he wasn't used to having a witch pay for any meal he ate with her like this.

"You want to walk along the beach with me?" Sirius asked her rather than continuing to tease her for the moment.

Hermione nodded. Despite her embarrassment over her own slip-ups and his teasing, Hermione was having entirely too much fun watching the way he looked so happy and so alive outside of the wretchedly gloomy hell-hole that was Grimmauld Place.

"Come on then," he offered her his hand as he got to his feet, tugging her up before tucking her under his arm.

Hermine noticed the way a few individuals were looking at them curiously as people began to flood the area in search of breakfast. Joggers ran on the beach by the waves. Tourists began to gather. Hermione caught the way a couple of people looked like they might recognise Sirius from his wanted pictures a few years ago. She knew they weren't still being circled in the muggle realm, but that didn't mean some people might not notice that he looked familiar.

Curling her arm around his waist, Hermione tucked herself under Sirius's arm more securely, ensuring she looked happy and comfortable with him. She was trying to make him look less like a criminal and hoping to deter anyone from approaching them or from reporting them to the police. She wanted to make it look like she was free and happy and not being controlled by him, which of course, she wasn't but they didn't know that.

"You noticed 'em too, eh?" he asked when she leaned into him a little more.

"They don't recognise you, they just think you look familiar. When you escaped, your picture was circulated on muggle television a lot, warning people to stay away from you and to report any sightings of you," Hermione told him, "Kingsley told me they stopped accepting the reports when they were inundated with so many false reports of people spotting you. Especially given that you were spending most of your time as Snuffles."

"You think they'll say anything?" he asked, pressing her to his side firmly and glancing down to look into her eyes.

Hermione wondered idly if they looked like father and daughter or if they looked like a couple. Sirius himself didn't look that old, despite the time he'd spent in Azkaban. Because he'd spent so much time transformed while he'd been in prison, his good looks had remained very much intact and he barely looked the thirty-five years he claimed.

"No," she shook her head, "I think they might be staring now because they're judging us."

"What for?" he asked, raising his eyebrows and glancing around the crowd.

Hermione caught the way an elderly couple out for a morning stroll were eying them both with distaste, looking very much like they disapproved the age-difference. Another woman walking with some young kids eyed Sirius with interest and Hermione could tell she was trying to figure out if Hermione was his girlfriend or his daughter.

"They can't decide if you're my father or my boyfriend," Hermione chuckled, "That old couple think you're a cradle snatcher and I'm a tart. And that woman with all those kids is hoping you're my dad and that you'd be interested in taking on a few more."

Sirius snorted.

"The lad over there looks like he wants to high-five me for scoring such a pretty young thing like you," he nodded in the direction of a man was watching them from a nearby café table and did actually look like he approved. Indeed, when they both looked over, he gave Sirius a thumbs up. Hermione laughed and peered up at Sirius, noting with some amusement that he was wiggling his eyebrows at the man in return and looking smug.

"You realise that if you were allowed out of the house, you could do far better, right?" Hermione asked him quietly, still chuckling when he wrapped her into his hold even tighter and looked like he didn't want to let her go.

Sirius paused as they walked the length of the boardwalk and down onto the beach.

"Better than you?" he asked and Hermione felt a little special when he looked doubtful.

Hermione nodded.

"I don't think so, Beautiful," he murmured, pulling her even closer and dropping a kiss to the top of her head.

"You've really been cooped up too long if you think that," Hermione laughed self-deprecatingly, "Can I ask you something?"

"Does it involve what I look for in a witch?" he asked in return, his arm still around her shoulders snugly as they resumed walking, strolling along the sand, "Because if so, then no. Can't tell you that, Beautiful."

"It's not about that… it's… about your imprisonment," Hermione said carefully.

His arm tightened reflexively for a moment.

"What would you like to know, Hermione?" Sirius asked, looking out over the bay as the sun continued to rise high into the sky.

"Did they give you a trial?" Hermione asked.

He sighed.

"Yeah, they did," he murmured, "Botched as it was."

"Botched?" Hermione probed, wanting to know more.

"The Ministry was in disarray when they hauled me in; Death Eaters everywhere, people Imperiused to do Voldemort's bidding. Half the Wizengamot were still reeling from their recent release from being Imperiused, some of 'em were even still under the effects. The rest were all still in shock over the fact that Voldemort had been seemingly vanquished," Sirius sighed, "Suspicion was rife and families like mine had pretty bad reputations."

"But you were different from them," Hermione frowned, "It's always bothered me that they convicted you, not just because you're innocent, but… I mean, anyone who knows you at all would know you'd never have betrayed James and Lily."

Sirius sighed heavily at the mention of their names.

"Things were dark back then, Hermione," he told her, steering her over towards some rocks at the far end of the small bay and releasing her as they both sat down on them, "Everyone was suspicious of everyone else. There'd been a lot of death. A lot of torture. Kidnappings. We had a traitor amongst the Order and no one trusted each other. Moony had spent the better part of two years living rough with the werewolf pack he'd been instructed to infiltrate. James and Lily had been in hiding from the time when she was about four months pregnant. What's that make it? Bit over a year and a half in hiding. They had Harry in secret, you know? Remus didn't even know they'd had him until almost ten months after he'd been born. I mean, he knew they'd been secreted away due to pregnancy, but not how far along Lily was or when Harry's birthday was."

"But how could anyone ever think that the Godfather of their child - that someone they trusted with their lives and the life of their son - would ever betray them?" Hermione wanted to know, frowning as she sat beside him, reaching for his hand idly when he clenched his fist in his lap.

"You have to understand, Hermione," Sirius said without looking her, "That my family is rotten to the core. If you knew the type of childhood I had, the type of people my parents were… well, it wasn't hard to believe that I might've finally caved to their whim – because trust me, love, they tried everything in the book to make me fall into line. You've seen how prejudice works in the wizarding world. A good third of my family members were good, decent folk, but the rest were rotten to the core. I'm the first-born son, heir to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. I've had expectations heaped on me since I was conceived. And I defied every single one of them, but people forget about that in war time."

He shook his head sadly.

"My trial was botched. James and Lily had put their faith in a traitor, but we'd spread it around a bit that I was the most likely candidate for being their Secret Keeper. Hell, we even told Moony it was me because he was so deep in it with the packs that we thought he was compromised. That's the thing, you look at us now or you look at how we were as kids, and you think how could we possibly have turned on each other? We'd been inseparable at school, all four of us. Hell, when my Mum kicked me out, the first place I went was to James's house. Didn't have a moment's hesitation over how I'd get by or what I'd do. But things change. We finished Hogwarts and were thrust into the Order of the Phoenix and suddenly everything was so much more real."

Hermione smoothed her thumb over the scars on his knuckles as she held his hand, listening to the tale.

"James and Lily married almost as soon as we finished school. Within the year. Things were alright then. It was getting darker and more dangerous out there, but it wasn't a clusterfuck yet. We all lived together for a bit after school. A little place outside Walthamstow. All six of us… Wormtail left first. Should've known back then that things were off with him, but we were all a bit distracted – didn't even occur to me that he was backing off, jealous and bitter over what the rest of us had. James and Lily were newlyweds, talking about getting bigger place in the country, talking about starting a family."

Sirius's hand tightened around hers for a minute and Hermione heard the catch in his voice. She didn't speak up despite the bite of curiosity she felt when he said six instead of five, though not for lack of interest. She didn't want to spook him into not continuing.

"'Somewhere that our kids would all have room to play,' Lily said," Sirius closed his eyes for a minute, his jaw clenching as though he were fighting the emotions down, "Somewhere that Remus wouldn't have to be chained in the basement every full moon, locked and silenced to keep from being heard by the neighbours. She wanted us all to go together."

Sirius wiped his free hand over his eyes for a minute and Hermione cuddled into his side without even thinking about it, her own eyes leaking with tears at the raw pain in his voice.

"Things went to shit soon after Wormtail took off. Remus was drafted into going after the pack. Mimi… Um… shit…" Sirius cursed, darting a glanced towards her for a moment, before clenching his eyes tight, "My um… the girl I was…"

His breath caught in his throat again and Hermione looked up into his face, seeing it screwed tight with a pain so acute she could hardly stand it. She could tell the very thought of the girl he spoke of was painful – noticing the way he pronounced the name 'My-my'.

"My wife," he whispered as though the words tasted bitter and sour and yet delectable all at the same time, "She… we lost her… and shit just… fell apart."

Hermione's heart clenched at his words.

"You were married?" she asked, shocked to learn such a thing. She'd never heard that before. She also realised how insensitive it was to ask him such a thing when he was already upset.

"Yeah," he laughed bitterly, "Got married in secret. No one knows, 'cept Moony. James and Lily were the best man and matron of honour, respectively, and we had Moony officiate since he's Alpha of the pack we all… uh… well, it's a werewolf thing… but yeah… Erm, not even Wormtail knew we'd gotten married."

Hermione watched as he fished his hand down the front of his shirt and withdrew a long goblin-made sliver chain with two gold rings hanging from it. She'd seen it before. She'd noticed it a hundred times. He had a habit of playing with it and more times than she could count, she'd seen him fiddling with it, especially while he drank.

"I thought those belonged to James and Lily," Hermione whispered softly.

"Nah, these are mine," he said, squeezing her hand tightly for a minute and clenching his eyes closed again, "When I lost her, everything went to hell. We were all fucked up over it, but things got bad. James and Lily were in hiding, Wormtail was always M.I.A. and Remus was so deep in it with the packs that even I thought he must've switched sides. And me… well, you know how reckless I am twenty years after this shit went down."

Sirius shook his head, laughing bitterly again.

"I was a wreck. Drank too much. Picked fights. Instigated duels. I took out Death Eaters left and right, picking those bastards off one by one. I didn't care who was behind those masks. They were fair game and I took them all out. James tried reasoning with me when I'd stop by to see him, Lily and baby Harry. I was too far gone. I was a killer by then. People knew I was one of the only ones who'd been given access to their place at Godric's Hollow. They thought I was Secret Keeper. Everyone forgot about Peter 'cause he was hardly ever around and sour when he had to be anywhere near us after his spat when he left our flat."

He let go of her hand then, his fist balling so tightly that Hermione could see the way his nails bit into his palms, drawing blood.

"They wanted me to be Secret Keeper," he told her and Hermione could see a tear trickling down his cheek closest to her as she pressed herself closer, curling her arm around his chest as though she might somehow keep him from the pain he still suffered, "They asked me to do it… I should've fucking done it. I'd have died keeping them safe if I could. I was ready to die. I… without Mi… without _her_ I was itching for a Killing Curse in the back. But I knew that if I were Secret Keeper and I got myself killed, they'd be vulnerable again. I talked them into making Peter the one instead. Everyone forgot about Wormtail. He wasn't hanging with us, he wasn't real brave for the Order. He stayed out of it as best he could, the fucking coward."

Hermione's heart was breaking at the pure agony and the fury in his voice as he told his tale to her. She'd never heard this version of the events that had led to James and Lily's murders. That had led to Sirius being locked up in Azkaban for twelve long years.

"That night… the night Prongs and Lily were murdered… I was hunting. While Voldemort went to Godric's Hollow, there was a Death Eater raid planned for Angeltown. I was there. I picked them off one by one. Without Moony around to pull me into line or put me back together, I didn't care who I hurt. I… one of those masked bastards recognised me and begun to laugh. Said I'd been betrayed. Said my friends were dying. I didn't want to believe them… killed every last bastard there before I took my bike and flew it to James's place," Sirius kicked at the rocks opposite where they sat hard enough that his knees cracked, "It was destroyed. The house was fucked. Nothing but rubble in places. The front entrance was blown open, looked like a Bombarda…. James was just… in the hallway…. He didn't even have his wand on him, the idiot. He was in his fucking pyjamas, for crying out loud."

A sob caught in his throat and Hermione cried with him, her heart constricting inside her chest as she tried to pull Sirius even closer to her, trying to hold him together. Trying to help him and offer what little comfort he might take.

"The nursery was a wreck. Lily put up a fight. She didn't just let that fucking cunt walk in and take Harry. That door was blown off its hinges, the shit she'd piled in front of it was in pieces. Her body was on the floor in front of the crib. Her eyes were open and I could see it in them that she'd died screaming. He tortured her when she refused to step aside and let him murder Harry," Sirius curled his arm around her back then, burying his face in her hair and crushing her to him as though she might somehow help relieve his agony.

"Harry was still in his crib, great big lightning shaped gash on his forehead. He was screaming and crying, reaching through the bars trying to get Lily's attention. Shit was levitating all of the place, stuff from the nursey. Accidental magic presenting itself. He had blood all over his face from that lightning bolt but he recognised me when he saw me," Sirius could barely speak, his voice was so hoarse, "'Siri' he used to call me. Little tyke couldn't say my full name yet. There he is, this great fuckin' kid, screaming and crying for his Mum and Dad, reaching for me like I'll make it all better."

Hermione trembled as she fought not to sob at his words. Fought and lost.

"It was all my fault," Sirius whispered brokenly, "It was all my fault. I never should have trusted Wormtail. I never should have let them put their faith in anyone but me. Little Harry's reaching for me, crying, wanting me to make it all better 'cause he doesn't know it's all my fucking fault his Mum and Dad are dead."

"Sirius, no," Hermione whispered, "You didn't… you couldn't have known Pettigrew would…"

Sirius squeezed her even tighter but Hermione could tell he didn't believe her words. Instead of commenting, he kept on with his tale.

"I got Harry out of there, fixed his head as best I could…. Hagrid found me sitting on the steps out the front, clutching that fucking kid and bawling my bloody eyes out," Sirius told her, "He was pretty wary of me. Looked like he might give me trouble. I didn't realise then, was in shock… he thought I'd sold James and Lily out. All I could think about was finding Peter. I'd already murdered plenty of Death Eaters by then, and I was going to get one fucking more. When Hagrid told me Dumbledore has sent him to get Harry, I handed him over. Didn't even occur to me that I might never see the kid again for twelve years. I gave Hagrid my bike, told him to take it. I wasn't going to need it to hunt down Peter."

Hermione felt tears dripping off her chin. She couldn't even begin to understand how he'd survived Azkaban drowning in guilt and believing himself guilty of contributing to James and Lily's death. How could he have survived knowing his wife had been killed?

"It took me a few days to catch up to Wormtail," Sirius told her quietly, pulling away from her slowly as he spoke before he fully got to his feet, "He was sticking to public places when he realised I was after him. That day in the street when all those muggle died… he taunted me. He told me that, though I didn't know it at the time, my kid brother Regulus had been among the Death Eaters who'd been at Angeltown. The ones I'd…. He taunted me about killing my own brother. He tried to reason with me about having sold James and Lily out. And then he did the worst thing he could possibly have done."

Hermione held her breath watching as Sirius began to pace in front of the rock where she was sitting, looking like a caged animal again.

"He told me he knew what had happened to Mimi… to my wife," Sirius growled and when he lifted his head to look at her, the familiar grey of his eyes had slipped away, replaced by the canine yellow of his animagus form, "He told me he knew what had happened to her, that he'd tell me if I spared his life. He even tried to bargain with me, lying, telling me she was still alive."

Sirius shook his head.

"And even after everything he'd done. After he'd sold my best friend to Voldemort, I hesitated," he snarled, "I fell for it. Before I could regain my senses he hit me with a Body Binding curse. The fucking rat got right up in my face and he hissed at me that he'd never tell me where to find her. That I'd never have that happy family Lils had talked about – the one he'd been pulling away from. He even hissed that I deserved it. That it was my fault. That if he couldn't have y… Mimi, no one could."

Hermione watched as his teeth began to lengthen in his mouth and his nails hardened, turning black with the beginning of the transformation, his rage completely overwhelming him.

"He dashed away, screaming about how I'd killed James and Lily; that I was going to kill him too and sliced off his finger before casting a curse to blow up the entire street, killing those twelve muggles in the process. Nearly killed me too with the blast. Then he transformed and disappeared into the sewer," Sirius snarled, "By the time I got free of the Body Bind, the Aurors were on the scene, already called thanks to us duelling. And all I could do was laugh. I thought for sure that I'd be tried and found innocent."

"Why weren't you found innocent?" Hermione asked, him trying to dry the tears from her face.

"You ever seen a trial in the wizarding world?" he asked her.

Hermione shook her head.

"They're brutal at the best of times, and it was very far from the best of times. Dumbledore, Hagrid, even Remus – they all thought I'd been Secret Keeper for the Potters. Remus knew about my wife… but no one else alive did. I mean, people knew of her, but not that we'd married. Not with James and Lily gone. They tested my wand for Priori Incantatem…."

"And you'd been hurling Killing curses and dark spells, at Peter in the street and the Death Eaters and Angeltown," Hermione's eyes widened.

Sirius nodded his head.

"Muggle witnesses claimed Peter had been seen begging for his life. Accusing me of killing James and Lily. No one heard what he said to me. No one saw him transform. We were all unregistered. If I'd told the truth, I'd have been implicated further for illegal animagi. To make matters worse, I'd been found at the scene in Godric's Hollow, holding Harry and covered in blood. Killing curses on my wand, blood on my hands, no evidence to the contrary."

"But you'd always been loyal to James and Lily," Hermione pointed out, "Didn't that count for anything?"

"No," Sirius shook his head, "No one believed it. They checked my arm for the Dark Mark, of course. Don't have one, but it didn't matter. They reckoned I hadn't been branded because it'd have been too easy to discover. Some of the Order testified that they'd known there was a spy in our midst. They didn't figure on Peter being there often enough to be the spy because no one saw him. He'd make excuses not to be there and then turn up as a rat."

"What about Remus? Didn't he vouch for you?"

"Remus thought I'd been Secret Keeper too," Sirius sighed, "And one of the muggles gave a statement that I'd shouted at Peter that Remus would be next. I meant he'd be the next one to hunt Peter if he got away from me. They took it to mean I'd turned on them all, sold James and Lily out, murdered Peter so that all they found was his fucking finger and was hunting Remus next. The thing to understand is, no one trusted anyone. We thought Remus was compromised. He didn't even meet Harry until the pup was ten months old. He only got to visit once with James, Lily and Harry – away from Godric's Hollow 'cause we thought _he_ was the spy. They knew I was reckless and beyond all fuck's given after losing M… _her._ "

"He thought you were guilty?" Hermione's heart fell.

"Until the day Harry mentioned seeing Pettigrew on the Map at Hogwarts in your third year," Sirius nodded, "When I escaped one of the reasons Dumbledore hired Moony was because he thought Moony would need the protection and that he'd provide protection and guidance for Harry when Harry found out the lies about who I was. Until then, he'd thought it was me. Thought I'd lost my mind and killed them all."

"You were sentenced without any further evidence," Hermione whispered, nodding her head, seeing it all too clearly in her mind.

"They had me at the scene, had me giving Harry up without a fight, handing over my bike – the only prized possession I had left by then – and incorrect statements about my intentions along with Priori Incantatem signing my fucking guilt," Sirius shook his head, "I couldn't tell them about the animagi. Even if I did, they weren't going to search the entire sewer for one bloody rat on the word of someone they perceived to be a traitor, a madman and a murderer."

"Why didn't Remus come forwards to report it?" Hermione frowned, "He knew you were an animagus and so was Wormtail."

"Didn't want to besmirch the memory of James and Peter – believing them both dead. Didn't see the point in further implicating me when I'd already been handed a life sentence. Didn't think anyone would believe him anyway when he was outed as being a werewolf and put on the register. There'd been a lot of werewolf attacks during the chaos of the war and he was tried himself before being found not-guilty of attacking anyone."

Hermione watched as his fingers began to shorten, the transformation progressing further.

"I'm gonna…" he jerked his thumb over his shoulder towards the water then, looking like he couldn't go on, even if he'd had more to say.

Hermione nodded her head slowly, watching him transform into Snuffles before he trotted towards the water and began diving into the waves, barking at them and snarling. She got the feeling he was attacking them at though they were Wormtail and the people he wanted to hurt for the way his life had turned out. She felt horrible for bringing the entire thing up at all.

She'd meant to make this day a better one for him. She hadn't wanted to bring up the things that drove him to drink himself stupid most nights. She'd wanted to get him out of the house and take his mind off things. Sighing heavily, Hermione dried her face, determined to make the day a better one after such a rough start.

Something she thought might be slightly harder when she heard the crack of apparition behind her and looked over her shoulder, her wand drawn, and spotted Remus Lupin.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Fair warning, you guys. DON'T READ AT WORK. You WILL cry. I cried whilst trying to do the final edit at work and people stared. It was wretched. I know I said I'd be posting on a monthly type schedule, but I couldn't resist giving you this chapter since it's ready to go. Thanks ever so much to all of you who take the time to read and especially to those who review. You make all the difference. =) Much love! xx-Kitten  
**

* * *

 **Used To Be Mine**

 _By Kittenshift17  
_

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 **Chapter 2**

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 **2** **nd** **August, 1995**

 **Herne Bay, England**

"Everyone's looking for you two," Remus told her without preamble, ignoring the protocol for security questions, "They were in quite a panic when they all woke up this morning and neither you, nor Sirius, were anywhere to be found."

"You're breaking protocol, Remus," Hermione told him, lowering her wand slightly as she continued sitting on her rock and staring at the man.

Sirius was still in the water, barking and snarling. Leaping into the waves angrily.

"I'd have thought my ability to find you here would have been reason enough not to bother with security questions, Hermione," Remus retorted.

"How _did_ you find us?" she asked, lowering her wand completely when she realised he had a point, "It's not like I left a note. And I picked this spot, not Sirius."

"You told me in one of your third year quizzes that you used to holiday here with your parents and that whenever you wanted to be calm and get away from the wizarding world, you thought of this place. That you come here during the holidays when you can."

"Did I?" Hermione frowned, not remembering doing so.

"It was one the questions about Patronus charms requiring happy memories and what everyone's might be. Thrown in as a bit of a brain teaser since patronuses usually aren't taught until NEWT level," Remus confirmed climbing up on the rock to sit beside her and looking out at Sirius where he'd abandoned the water and begun chasing some seagulls.

Hermione watched as he sent of his patronus with a message to say he'd found both of them and that they would return shortly assuring the Order that everything was fine.

"Is Padfoot alright?" Remus asked her quietly.

"No," Hermione admitted, "He thinks he's losing his mind. I found him this morning at the breakfast table when I got up. He was lost so deep in a memory it took nearly five minutes to draw him out of it. He couldn't remember if he'd showered, slept or even left the table after the meeting last night."

"Shit," Remus cursed, before glancing at her and looking alarmed to have cursed in front of her, "Ah… you didn't hear me say that. Sorry."

"Given some of Sirius's language today, you're not in trouble for say 'shit' in front of me, Remus," Hermione rolled his eyes.

"How bad?" Remus asked, his frown deepening with worry.

"Was his language?" Hermione confirmed, "He told me the story of what happened in the lead up to his arrest when I asked if he'd ever been given a trial."

"Ah, fuck," Remus put his face in his hands, before glancing at her again worriedly for a moment when Hermione chuckled.

"That wasn't the worst one he used," she assured him.

"How much did he tell you?" Remus wanted to know.

"A lot," Hermione admitted, "I know about Regulus… and about… Sirius being married."

"FUCK!" Remus lifted his head, his green eyes widening with alarm before he looked at her face carefully as though looking to see if she was alright.

"I won't tell anyone Remus," Hermione told him, "I hardly think he wants that advertised too loudly."

"Did he tell you who…?" Remus asked carefully.

"Erm… he slipped and said 'Mimi'," Hermione admitted.

"Shit," Remus cursed, "Don't bring her up around anyone in the Order, alright? And don't ask him about her. It's… Mimi was… well…"

"She's a sensitive topic, I gather," Hermione nodded her head, "Don't worry Remus, the last thing I want to do is open up anyone else's old wounds. Sirius couldn't keep control of his human form by the end of the story."

"He didn't tell you who Mimi was, did he? Just that he was married to her?" Remus confirmed, looking rather panicked by the mention of the witch that Sirius had spoken of.

"Just her name and even then he seemed to have slipped up when he said it. He looked a bit… well, if I'm honest he looked like whoever she was, she took his heart with her when she died."

Remus's eyes widened at her for a minute, looking rather disbelieving.

"What else did he tell you? You said he mentioned Regulus?"

"His brother, right?" Hermione asked, "He was a Death Eater?"

Remus nodded his head but didn't seem to want to talk about who Regulus was, how he'd become a Death Eater, or about the fact that Sirius had accidentally committed fratricide.

"He told me about you, too," Hermione said softly, "About how they suspected you instead of Wormtail as the spy. How you didn't know about Harry and…"

She trailed off when she caught sight of the pain in Remus's eyes.

"Sorry. I won't mention it again. It's clearly very painful for both of you to think about, let alone discuss."

"Sorry, Hermione," Remus apologised quietly, "I imagine you have questions, the same as Harry does, wanting to know how James and Lily died. How I could let Sirius rot for twelve years in prison without trying to get him freed…. But it's… Merlin, it's painful."

"I can imagine," Hermione said quietly patting Remus's hand comfortingly when he clenched his fists. She noticed idly that he flinched at the touch, "I can imagine how horrible it would be if the same thing happened to Harry, Ron and I. I don't think I'd have survived the way the two of you have if it happened to us."

Remus's eyes, when he turned to look at her, were so tortured and so pained that she almost reached out and hugged him. He looked devastated by her words, as though they were tearing him apart. At that moment Sirius trotted up to where they were sitting and jumped up on the rock on Hermione's far side. He was sandy and wet, but Hermione didn't mind so very much. He transformed quickly, running a hand through his damp black hair.

"You found us, eh Moony?" he asked, his voice neutral.

"I knew where to look," Remus replied and Hermione watched the way the pair of wizards shared a glance she didn't understand.

"So what happens now?" Sirius asked after a long silence as they all simply sat and looked at each other and their surroundings.

"You want to know if I'm here to force you back into your cell," Remus told him, no question in his tone. He looked like he'd read Sirius's mind on the matter, "But I'm not going to do that, Pads. Not today."

Hermione glanced between Remus and Sirius for a long moment before looking up at the sky.

"If we're making a day of this little outing," Hermione said softly, "We should stop by Surrey and grab Harry too."

Remus looked surprised by the suggestion and Sirius stared at her for a full minute before a slow, wide smile spread across his face.

"You were right, 'Mi… Hermione," he told her, "You really do have all the good ideas. Let's go get my godson. He's been going stir-crazy with those muggles."

"We're not supposed to collect him for another few days," Remus warned.

"Too bad," Sirius shrugged, "I want to see the pup, Moony. And we're already breaking the rules. Let's bust him loose."

Remus looked torn for a moment, his eyes darting between Sirius's pleading face and Hermione's expression.

"Please Remus," Hermione murmured softly, "Let's get Harry. I miss him."

Remus's eyes softened ever so slightly at her soft pleading.

"Dumbledore's going to have a fit when he hears about this," he muttered, "But come on. Are we just collecting him, or do you have something else in mind for the day?"

"I've got an idea of how to spend it," Hermione said, a wide smile crossing her face, "Harry will love it."

"Oh?" Sirius asked, jumping to his feet and reaching for her.

Hermione smiled when he lifted her right up from the rock and stood her on her feet.

"Have either of you ever been to a muggle amusement park?" Hermione asked him curiously before glancing at Remus.

"No," Sirius shook his head.

"I've heard of them," Remus told her, "But I've never been."

"Well, good. I think it will do everyone some good. Especially Harry. He had a rough year at school and he's been cooped up with the Dursleys all summer," Hermione said, "Let's go. Remus, do you know the way?"

Remus nodded, offering his right hand to Sirius and his left to Hermione.

"Ready? Three… two… one."

There was a sharp jerk behind her navel.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

 **Number 4, Privet Drive – Dursley Residence**

Hermione blinked her eyes open to a perfectly sculpted suburb with their well-kept lawns turning brown in the heat of the summer.

"It's number four, isn't it?" Sirius confirmed, bounding forwards excitedly and hurrying towards the house in the distance that was Harry's Aunt and Uncle's home.

"The Dursleys will have a fit when they see us," Hermione commented, following after Sirius and feeling very mischievous indeed.

"Who's on duty with him today anyway?" Sirius asked Remus, "Where are they?"

"Supposed to be 'Dung," Remus commented, his nostrils flaring as though trying to catch the scent of the absent guard who was meant to be protecting Harry les the Death Eaters arrive to murder him.

"That fucker's going to get my pup killed if he cuts out on watch duty again," Sirius growled, also scenting the air, using his elevated anigmagus senses to locate the wizard, "I'm gonna skin him live when I see him next."

He bounded all the way up to the front door and raised his hand to knock.

"Um… maybe I should go first?" Hermione suggested, suddenly finding herself eyeing Remus and Sirius. Remus was dressed in causal robes, dark pants that were a bit tattered at the hems and a button up grey oxford with a light travelling cloak. He looked age appropriate to be venturing into the muggle world, though somewhat out of place wearing a cloak in the increasing heat.

Sirius looked anything but age appropriate. He was wearing dark-wash jeans with a rip in one knee, a Nirvana band t-shirt and the dark cloak she'd insisted he don before leaving the house to better hide his identity.

"You think we'll scare the muggles?" Sirius asked, grinning at her.

"I think you want to scare the living daylights out of the muggles," Hermione told him, "You're positively gleeful at the notion. And if you're rude, they won't let us in."

Hermione elbowed him aside until she stood at the front of the group before she lifted her hand and rapped her knuckles smartly on the front door.

"POTTER!" Petunia Dursley could be heard shouting from inside.

Hermione heard the sound of the television inside playing some kind of midday talk-show, before she heard the rapid thumping of someone's feet on the stairs. The door jerked open before she could knock again and Hermione stared into the wide green eyes of Harry James Potter where he stood in the doorway. He had his wand clutched in his fist and ready to use if need be.

"Hermione?" Harry asked and Hermione smiled at him.

"Hey, Harry!" she said, jumping forwards and pouncing on him, pulling him into a hug.

He seemed startled by her actions and almost looked like he wasn't sure it was her, though his arms came up around her.

"What are you doing here? How did you get here?" Harry asked and Hermione frowned, wondering why he wasn't greeting Remus and Sirius.

She released him and glanced over her shoulder before stepping backwards in the doorway slightly. She spotted Sirius and Remus both hiding either side of the entranceway, their fingers to their lips as they hid, intending to play a trick on Harry, apparently.

"I took a bus," Hermione smirked, looking back at Harry who was still staring at her, "I wanted to see you. You sounded so miserable in your letters and I wanted to surprise you. You want to get out of here for the day? I know you've been told to stay put by the Order, but I reckon they won't even know if you come to the city with me for the day."

Harry narrowed his eyes on her and Hermione could tell he didn't think she was really Hermione. He trained his wand on her suddenly.

"During our second year, you brewed a potion in a bathroom at Hogwarts. What was it and what effect did it have on you?" he demanded.

"I brewed Polyjucice potion," Hermione told him immediately, "And I accidentally put cat hair instead of human hair into my dose, resulting into me ending up covered in fur, sprouting whiskers, and a tail and partially transforming into a cat."

Hermione heard Sirius snort from the garden at her words.

"You seriously came all this way just to bust me out of the house because I've been whining in my letters?" Harry asked, clearly believing her answers, "Is Ron with you?"

"No," Hermione shook her head, "And I missed you, you git. Now stop pointing that at me before someone sees you with it and you get us both in trouble."

She nodded to his wand, which Harry lowered and quickly stowed in the pocket of his jeans.

"Potter, who is it? Who's at the door?" Petunia Dursley stomped up behind Harry. She was wearing a frilly pink cooking apron and a pinched expression, "Who are you?"

Hermione smiled politely at the woman, "My name is Hermione Granger. I'm a friend of Harry's from school."

"Hermione's muggle-born, like Mum was, Aunt Petunia," Harry said, looking as though he took great delight in rubbing his Aunt's face in the reminder that her sister had been a witch.

"One of _them_ , then," Petunia sniffed, "What are you doing here? Potter, how dare you bring more of your friends into this house after what those brats did to Dudders last summer?"

Harry opened his mouth to answer her, looking like he meant to defend Hermione but before he could, Sirius suddenly sprang into the doorway. He jostled Hermione to one side, latched onto Petunia and hauled her closer before snogging the startled woman right on the mouth.

Petunia screamed. Harry gave a shout of surprise. Hermione felt rather ill. Slapping at her assaulter viciously, Petunia Dursely wrenched herself from Sirius's hold and staggered back, looking horrified.

"Sirius?" Harry asked, looking alarmed, surprised and excited to see his godfather, in addition to horrified by the idea that the man had just snogged his wretched Aunt.

"Miss me, Tuney?" Sirius purred wickedly at Petunia, wiping at his lip where she'd obviously bitten him, "Hey, Pup."

He reached for Harry and jerked him into a one armed hug, keeping his eyes on Petunia who had gone pale and was looking utterly horrified. Her eyes were wide and fixed on Sirius in utter horror.

"Black?" she gasped.

"Surprise," Sirius roared with laughter.

Hermione felt Sirius's hand take her shoulder as he released Harry, jostling her further out of the way. Before she could ask what was going on, Remus sprang into the doorway and gave Petunia the same treatment, latching onto her face and snogging her soundly on the lips.

"You!" she snarled the minute she fought her way free of a now laughing Remus while Sirius continued to roar with laughter, "The pair of you! Again! What do you think you're doing? Get out of my house this instant!"

"We're not in your house yet, Tuney," Sirius taunted her, tucking Harry under one of his arms, "And anyway, we're not here to see you. We're here for my godson."

" _You're_ his godfather?" Petunia's eyes widened in horror, "You… we thought… Harry you told me your godfather was a convicted murderer who escaped Azkaban!"

"I did not," Harry replied, his eyes wide, "You know what Azkaban is? You know Sirius and Remus?"

"We were her first and second kiss," Sirius assured Harry.

"You were not," Petunia denied immediately, her eyes narrowing hatefully on Sirius.

"We were," Remus assured Harry and Hermione, smirking and laughing as well despite his own bleeding lip, "And I'm sorry to say 'Tuney, but you haven't improved at all in the snogging department."

"You know them?" Harry asked, his face utterly shocked.

"OUT!" Petunia screamed at Sirius and Remus when they both stepped inside the house, while Remus pulled the front door closed behind them, "Look at what you've done! Get out. You're not welcome here."

"You're being unreasonable Tuney," Sirius told her, "How did you possibly have a kid of your own if you still get this upset about a bit of snogging?"

Petunia screeched in pure frustration and Hermione couldn't help but snigger at the idea that a woman she'd been told by Harry was cold and unfeeling expect where her son was concerned, could express such a sound at all.

"I hate you. The pair of you! How did you find my house? What are you doing here? You're a murderer?" she demanded, skewering Sirius with a sharp gaze.

"Not in the sense that I actually killed the people I was convicted for killing," Sirius replied, not at all helping himself since he didn't actually deny the correct accusation.

"Didn't I hear you'd escaped from prison?" Petunia asked, slanting a glare at Harry.

"Yeah, I did," Sirius smirked, "Where's that great lump of idiot you married?"

"Vernon is at work. Oh, why am I engaging them? Out. I want you out of my house. And you, little Miss," she pointed at Hermione, "I assume you are one of these fool's ill-begotten offspring or an accomplice in their assault, so you can clear off as well."

Hermione couldn't help it when she began to laugh at her words.

"Aunt Petunia!" Harry exclaimed, clearly shocked by his Aunt's behaviour, her rudeness and her way of referring to his friends.

"Don't worry about it Harry," Hermione rolled her eyes.

"That wasn't very good manners, 'Tuney," Sirius scolded her, also laughing and looking all the more amused by Hermione's dismissal of the nonsense, "As a matter of fact, I've been hearing that you haven't been showing very good manners since you took the pup in."

His eyes narrowed dangerously on Petunia Dursley then, and Hermione watched the way Remus stepped a little closer as though intending to step between Sirius and the muggle woman if need be.

"Excuse me?" Petunia snarled, "I took him in, didn't I? Knowing what he is! Knowing the type of danger that having him live in this house brings, I still took him in. I made sure he was fed and clothed. I made sure he got those glasses when we learned he couldn't see without them. I made sure he learned how to talk and how to walk. Saw to his education."

"You kept him locked in that bloody cupboard under the stairs," Sirius glared at the woman, pointing to the cupboard door down the hall beneath the stairwell, "You took no better care of him than you would some mongrel stray you took in off the street! Your own flesh and blood! The last piece of your sister left on the fucking planet and you barely tolerated him."

"Sirius," Harry said, trying to placate the suddenly furious wizard.

"What was I supposed to do?" Petunia hissed, "You _know_ how Vernon felt about magic! Look at him, Black! He's a spitting image of Potter and you know the rot he started with Vernon at my wedding! And he has _her_ eyes! You weren't here to look into those eyes every day, missing her and raising her child, I was!"

"You abused the kid!" Sirius snarled, "You and that fucking oaf tried to beat the magic right out of him! And don't you dare stand there and tell me that you thought it would work! You grew up watching Lily's accidental magic! You knew it was completely normal for Harry to do the same thing and you still let that bastard smack him around and lock him under the stairs. And don't you dare stand there and bemoan having to raise him. Not to me. If I could've, you can bet your arse I fuckin' would have done it myself."

"Well, why the hell didn't you?" Petunia snarled right back and Hermione could tell Harry was beyond shocked by the argument taking place in front of him. Everything she'd ever heard about Petunia was that she was cold and cruel, refusing to tell Harry about his parents or even mention Lily's name.

"I was in prison!" Sirius shouted at the woman, "Wrongfully accused of handing James and Lily to Voldemort! They locked me up and it took me twelve years to fucking escape! _You_ were supposed to raise the kid right. You knew about magic. You knew how thrilled Lily was when she got pregnant and had him! She'd have been rolling in her fucking grave to see the way you treated her son! And we both fucking know that if it had been the other way around, your lump of a kid would've been raised like a fucking prince by Lily!"

"Sirius," Remus warned putting his hand on Sirius's shoulder as though to restrain him when Petunia looked like she'd been slapped across the face. Hermione watched the way the stern woman's eyes filled with tears at Sirius's words, her expression crumpling.

"What was I supposed to do?" Petunia whispered brokenly, her shoulders suddenly slumping and all the fierceness leaving her rigid frame as she seemed to deflate like a balloon losing air, "They were just gone, Sirius. Potter was gone. You were both. Both of you," she pointed at Sirius and Remus, "Lily was just gone. Just like that. There was no explanation. No expression of sympathy or concern. Just a bundled up baby left on my doorstep with a gash on his head and a note saying my sister and my brother-in-law had been murdered and I had to raise their infant son."

Tears trickled from her eyes and down her cheeks.

"I had to beg Vernon on my knees to let him stay here, to be allowed to keep him and raise him. Vernon wanted to ship him off to an orphanage straight away after what you lot did at our wedding. What could I have done? I'd seen one photograph of the boy in my entire life and suddenly he was on my doorstep, orphaned and the survivor of black magic. And to make matters worse, as he grew he was trouble. He performed accidental magic all the time. Made things disappear. Made that wild mop of hair grow back every time I cut it. Vernon shouted all the time that we'd put a stop to it. That we could make him normal. And I kept hoping that someone would come. That either of you, or that girl Lily was so close with would come and take him to raise him as I wasn't allowed," Petunia's bottom lip trembled and her voice shook as she cried and told her story.

Sirius clenched his fists and Harry looked like he couldn't believe his ears. He was staring at his aunt like he'd never seen her before in his life. Like he had no idea who this emotional woman was in front of him.

"No one ever came," Petunia whispered, "There were no letters. Not a word. No proper explanation about what happened to my sister. No sign of you two or her other friends. Not a peep from anyone until he got his Hogwarts letter."

"You didn't want to let me go to Hogwarts," Harry reminded her, "You tried to hide from them when the letters came."

"We'd heard nothing in ten years and suddenly you were being invited to that stupid school as though everything was fine and dandy," Petunia snapped, "What would you have done?"

She straightened her shoulders once more, tears still trickling from her eyes. She refused to look at Harry, keeping her gaze narrowed on Remus and Sirius.

"You were in prison?" she asked of Sirius, before turning to Remus "And you? Where were you? Why didn't you come for him?"

"You know why, Petunia," Remus told her, his eyes flashing to the gold of the wolf and making Petunia gasp, "What would I have done with him on full moon nights? Kept him upstairs and chained myself in the basement all night? What if I'd gotten loose? What if he'd needed something while I was lost to the change?"

"You could have gotten a babysitter," Petunia snapped, narrowing her eyes at him and Hermione marvelled at the fact that despite her gasp, she didn't look afraid of Remus because he was a werewolf.

"Do you imagine my kind have it easy in our world, Petunia?" Remus raised his eyebrows, "Do you think people willingly employ werewolves? Do you think I'd have been able to support a kid? That I'd have been able to give him any kind of life?"

"You'd have done better than locking him in a cupboard and smacking him for accidentally making his breakfast fly," Petunia retorted.

"Every full moon I have to lock _myself_ in a bloody cupboard," Remus argued, "So I stayed away for Harry's sake, thinking you'd raise him right. Knowing your husband would most likely piss himself, again, at the sight of me."

"What about the other…?" Petunia began, clearly asking after Pettigrew.

"He's the one who sold James and Lily out," Sirius told her quietly, "He sold them out, and then he framed me for the murder of twelve muggles, along with Pettigrew himself before faking his own death and disappearing."

That information seemed to be more than Petunia could stand and a wretched sob tore from her chest before she covered her face with her hands and cried. Hermione felt her heart squeeze for the woman. She'd never given Petunia Dursley much thought in the past. She'd merely been Harry's wretched Aunt who was mean to him. It had never occurred to her that she might miss her sister. That she would mourn her loss.

It had never occurred to her that she'd have known Remus and Sirius. That she would know about magic at all when Harry had told her discussion of it was banned in their house.

"Harry?" Hermione asked quietly, "Maybe a cup of tea?"

"Um…" Harry said, blinking as he continued to stare at his aunt, "Right. Tea…"

He seemed to be in a daze as he turned and walked down the hall into the kitchen. Sirius followed him, looking grim. Remus looked awkward as he watched Petunia cry, clearly not wanting to upset her further by touching her, but also wanting to offer comfort.

"Come on, Mrs Dursley. A nice cup of tea will help," Hermione said, taking it upon herself to help the sobbing woman down the hall and into the kitchen where Harry was boiling the kettle. He set out five cups looking like he was on autopilot and Sirius leaned against the kitchen sink staring out the window with his arms folded.

"Why?" Petunia whispered, her hand stretching halfway across the table towards Remus, who sat down opposite her. Hermione didn't have to be a genius to know she was asking about why Peter had sold James and Lily out.

"Fear. Cowardice," Remus sighed, "After school and after they were married, things got very bad. None of us trusted each other. They didn't trust me to even meet Harry for a long while after he was born. Peter didn't know for even longer. Not until a month before he sold them out. They moved often and to protect the building from being detected by Voldemort, they performed the magic to make one particular person in charge of keeping the location secret. Even if others knew, like Sirius and I knew, if we told you the address, you wouldn't know unless the designated person told you or died. Complicated stuff, but they trusted the wrong person. Peter had betrayed us long before then, passing on information about the battles we waged, warning the other side. He was afraid. He was excluded. He was still jaded about… Lily's friend."

Hermione caught the way Remus paused, shooting a glance at Harry and then Hermione. He looked worried by the mention of it at all, but Harry still seemed to be in shock, operating on auto-pilot as he poured everyone a cup of tea, automatically fixing it how each of them liked to drink theirs. Hermione herself moved over to help Harry carry them all to the table before she moved up behind Sirius where he still stood staring out the kitchen window.

"Sirius?" she asked, gently putting her hand on his shoulder to get his attention.

He flinched slightly at the touch and Hermione was surprised when he reached up and took her hand from his shoulder, pulling it around his chest and tugging on it until Hermione found herself pressed against his back. He clung to her hand tightly and Hermione suspected he was trying to keep his emotions in check so as not to further upset Petunia or shout at her anymore. Slipping her other arm around his waist, Hermione did the only thing she could think of, pressing herself to his back and hugging him from behind.

"I think Peter believed that James and Lily would give Harry up and be allowed to live. He was something of an idiot, you may recall?" Remus went on, "When Sirius hunted him down, he screamed and made it seem like Sirius was on a rampage. Everyone, even me, thought that Sirius had been Secret Keeper for James and Lily. Peter cut off one of his fingers, caused a large explosion that killed twelve people, transformed and ran for it."

"He was the rat, wasn't he?" Petunia asked in a whisper.

"You know about animagi?" Harry asked, seeming shocked by his aunt's words, "You knew what they could do? You know Remus is a werewolf?"

"Of course I knew," Petunia said, "Lily never shut up about it. She taunted me with such things actually."

"All my life you've called her a freak for being magical," Harry argued, "You call me a freak and tell me I'm strange and abnormal for being magical too."

There was a long silence and Hermione held her breath, clutching Sirius a little tighter when he tensed at Harry's words, not liking what Petunia had done.

"Oh Harry," Petunia sighed sadly, "What did you expect from me? Lily was my angel of a younger sister. Prettier than me. Smarter than me. Doted on by my parents more than me because she was the youngest. And then, to top it off, she's a witch as well? She gets a letter saying she gets to go away to a special school with all the other magical people, and she comes home every holiday with wild stories of flying on brooms and levitating tables and love potions that make you swoon."

Hermione heard the woman sigh again.

"Of _course_ I called her a freak and told her I hated her. I was jealous. I was plain and boring and a muggle. I had to stay home and go to a regular school where people asked why my sister didn't go to the same school. I was dull and shallow and more than a bit petty. I married a dull, shallow and petty man who thought magic was freakish. I convinced myself Lily was a freak because it was the only thing that made me feel better. I had a son, so sure that my parents would be pleased to see me settled, married, and having a child. And almost immediately, Lily comes along and does the same thing. Marrying someone so much more interesting and handsome and funny that my shallow, dull, and petty husband. Giving birth to a magical child while my own son was… well…"

Hermione turned, releasing Sirius as he turned as well and they both looked at the woman where she sat at her kitchen table, her eyes fixed on her nephew. Her cheeks were pink and she looked a bit alarmed by the fact that she'd almost bad-mouthed her own son.

"We fought for years and years. I refused to let her be a bridesmaid at my wedding even though we'd been so close – the very best of friends – when we were children. James was inept at discussing muggle things with Vernon and Vernon took offence, furthering the estrangement. She didn't even tell me she'd gotten married or pregnant until she sent an announcement of your birth to me – months and months after you'd been born. I thought…" Petunia shook her head sadly, "I thought we could fix things. That having a common interest, a common discussion topic about having children and raising sons would bring us back together. We exchanged Christmas gifts the year you were born, for the first time since we'd been girls."

Another tear trickled down her cheek.

"We were in contact with one another again. We wrote to each other, exchanging owls while Vernon was away at work and I was here with Dudley. She'd tell me about you and how quickly you were growing, already learning to talk and recognising faces. Learning to fly on a broomstick before you could even walk. She'd written to me just a week ago to tell me she was expecting again," Petunia pursed her lips and closed her eyes, more tears trickling down her face to drip from her pointed chin, "And then I opened the door on November 1st of 1981 and there was this little bundle wrapped in a tartan blanket with Potter's wild hair, my beautiful sister's eyes and a gash on his forehead. Nothing but a short note saying I was the only blood relation of Lily's that you had left after my parents died in an actual car-crash a year earlier. Saying she'd died protecting you and that some kind of blood magic that had protected you then would continue to protect you and to protect us until you came of age."

Hermione felt more than heard the breath leave Sirius's lungs and she saw the way Remus's face drained of colour as Petunia went on, clearly not realising she'd just dropped a huge bomb on them all. Harry swayed where he stood, his hands shaking badly around his teacup. Petunia's eyes were closed, so she didn't see the reaction to the news and kept talking.

"Vernon shouted and screamed about the idea of taking in an abnormal child. A freak. A magical boy. He didn't know I'd been writing to Lily. I thought, maybe, you'd stay here until something else could be arranged. Until Sirius or Remus or Peter or Mimi or Alice… anyone… until they would come and take you away to raise you in your magical world rather than in the wretched, petty, shallow world I had created for myself. But no one came. No one called. No one wrote. No one came to explain to me what could have gone so wrong, so fast; that my beautiful little sister and her funny husband could be ripped away from you and from me when I'd only just gotten her back."

Tears dripped from Hermione's chin and Harry dropped his teacup to the floor. Remus's nails dug into his own skin so viciously it tore and blood leaked free. Sirius hit his knees, his face in his hands.

"My mum was…." Harry tried to say, "She was… pregnant?"

Petunia's eyes snapped open and she looked around the room at the other devastated faces, taking it in before she paled as well.

"None of you knew?" she asked softly, "Oh dear. I… I'm so sorry. I didn't think…. I always just assumed that if she'd told me, you must… oh."

Hermione felt her feet carry her to Harry, catching him as his knees gave way and tears ran down his face, a sob tearing free of him. She barely caught him and ended up having to lower herself to the floor with him as he too hit his knees in the kitchen. A wretched sound akin to a half-sob, half-whine came from Sirius and Hermione reached for him too, pulling at him to tug him closer to herself even as Harry cried into her shoulder.

"I would've… had….a brother…. Or a sister…" Harry cried, his whole body shaking with each sobbed word.

Hermione cried with him and she felt and heard Sirius doing the same thing. His arms came up around both Hermione and Harry, pulling them to him, practically into his lap as he fell backwards to sit on the floor, broken his in utter despair. She leaned into both wizards, trying to control her own tears for their wretched pain, trying to pull herself together to take care of them. Remus appeared by them on the floor and Hermione found herself amid a crying tangle of bodies and limbs when Sirius tried to pull Remus to him too.

Hermione laid her cheek on top of Harry's head, somehow straddling one of Sirius's thighs while wrapped into a one armed hug by all three wizards on the floor as they squished her into the middle of them, each trying to bring the other two comfort. Harry's fist clenched the back of her shirt tightly, and Hermione could feel Remus's claws digging into her left hip. Sirius seemed to have buried his head in her chest and Harry had his head tucked on Sirius's shoulder. Remus had claimed Sirius's other shoulder.

When she blinked her eyes open, trying to catch her breath and get herself under control, Hermione spotted Petunia still sitting at the kitchen table. She'd abandoned her tea-cup – which appeared to have been tipped over. Her bottom lip was trembling and she cried silently as she stared at the four of them sitting on her kitchen floor, broken and distraught in their grief over her sister's unborn second-child.

It occurred to her as she looked at the woman, so alone in her grief, that Petunia had never had the chance to properly mourn her sister's loss. Until today she'd had no idea what had truly happened to Lily. She'd had no idea what had become of Lily's friends and why no one had come to collect Harry from her. She'd not even told her husband that she and sister were patching things up, that she didn't think her sister such a freak anymore. She'd had to beg her own husband to let her raise her nephew and even then had done so in such a way that would've broken her sister's heart. All because of a hatred of magic and jealousy.

Reaching an arm towards the woman when Petunia met her gaze, Hermione invited her to join them in their grief. Petunia looked fearful, shaking her head slightly.

"I'm so sorry," she was whispering, over and over again, "I'm so sorry for everything."

Hermione beckoned Petunia with her fingers again trying to bring her closer. She resorted to snapping her fingers at the woman and the pointing to the floor beside them where there was space to hug Harry. Startled by the forcefulness of Hermione's summons and overwhelmed by her own grief, the woman got shakily to her feet and moved over to them. She lowered herself to her knees looking alarmed by the hand Hermione offered her in comfort.

Harry jerked slightly when Petunia used her other hand to comb her fingers through the messy black hair she'd tried a million times to lay flat. He twisted his head slightly when he heard his Aunt continue to mutter her apologies, her own tears still dripping from her chin. Harry blinked blood-shot, puffy eyes at his Aunt for a moment before Hermione felt his hand unclench from the back of her shirt. He reached, almost hesitantly with his freed arm toward the woman and Hermione could see the number of years of fear and hatred and pain that stood between the two of them.

When Petunia leaned in a little closer, looking like she desperately wanted to comfort her nephew and seek her own comfort as well, Harry did the only decent thing, he looped his arm around her and pulled her closer until he was effectively hugging her with one arm, the other around Sirius. Petunia sobbed quietly as she leaned against the boy she'd been so wretched to all of his life. And Hermione felt her heart break all over again to know all the pain they had suffered over a misunderstanding.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I love that you're all so on board with this fic. Also, I'm delighted by your reactions to all everything that happened in the first two chapters. =)**

* * *

 **Used To Be Mine**

 _By Kittenshift17_

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

* * *

 **2** **nd** **August 1995**

 **Number 4, Privet Drive – Dursley Residence**

A few shots of Uncle Vernon's brandy, a cup of tea and some lunch later found all five occupants currently inside Number Four, Privet Drive dry-eyed and quiet. Hermione had taken it upon herself to seek out everything needed for drinks and for lunch, insisting everyone in the room drink some of the brandy to help take the edge off their pain.

Harry looked so lost that it made her chest ache. Remus looked a bit like he'd taken a bludger to the head, his expression vacant and distant as though he weren't even really there. Petunia continued to mutter that she was sorry, wringing her hands nervously and seeming like she didn't know what to do with herself or her guests.

Sirius seemed the worst off. His grief was etched into every line on his handsome face. He seemed to have aged ten years with the news of his best friend's unborn second-child. He looked as though the weight of the world was upon his shoulders and he was stumbling and staggering beneath it. His grey eyes were dark with pain; they were bloodshot and red, puffy from crying. He was bleeding from where Remus had dug his claws into Sirius's back, gripping him so tightly in their combined grief.

Vaguely, Hermione was aware of the fact that they really needed to do something to change the mood of the day. She didn't want Sirius's trip out of the house to make it that much worse when he had to go back. Already she could tell this outing would weigh on him for years to come. She could practically see him drowning in the guilt of the idea that Harry was an orphaned and an only-child as a result of his refusal to be Secret Keeper for James and Lily.

She needed to get their mind off what they'd learned, but Hermione couldn't think of a way to suggest something adequate for the task without seeming insensitive. She couldn't very well suggest a trip to a theme park when they'd just learned Lily Potter had been pregnant the night she'd died. But she needed to do something.

"Not to… make a bad day worse," Hermione said quietly, watching the way everyone slowly turned to look at her, "But erm… we do need to be heading off… I imagine everyone will be very worried by now."

"I sent a patronus," Remus said quietly, "It suggested we might not return until tonight."

"You didn't come on the bus to see me, did you Hermione?" Harry asked her, tipping his head to one side.

"No," Hermione admitted, "I snuck Sirius out this morning and we went to the beach and had breakfast. Remus turned up when everyone woke and couldn't find us. We thought it would be fun to really make a day of our naughtiness and make the trouble we'll be in when we return worthwhile. So we came to see you… we were going to go to a theme park or something before taking you with us back home."

"Shit," Sirius muttered, lifting his head to meet her eyes, "I forgot about the theme park."

"We can go another time," Hermione shrugged, "But the afternoon is starting to get on a bit. I imagine Mr Dursley might be home soon and we probably shouldn't be here when that happens."

"That would be best," Petunia admitted.

"The neighbours are going to gossip about how these two… ah… greeted you, Aunt Petunia," Harry told the woman quietly and Petunia turned to look at him, her eyes widening slowly.

"Oh goodness, I'd almost forgotten," she whispered, touching her lips before slanting glares at Remus and Sirius, "Vernon will have a cow when he hears."

"He had a cow the last time we did it too," Sirius pointed out, a smirk flashing across his face.

"It was my wedding day!" Petunia hissed at him, looking scandalised.

"Seriously?" Harry asked, "You both snogged my aunt on her wedding day?"

"It was tradition by then," Sirius shrugged, "We were her first and second kiss ever."

"You were not!" Petunia insisted.

Sirius rolled his eyes, "We were. And when she started dating Dursely, we kissed her again when she brought him home to meet her family. James had been invited."

"And wherever James went, these two followed like a bad smell," Petunia threw in, crossing her arms, "My parents were thrilled, of course. Vernon tried to punch Sirius for snogging me right there at the dinner table in front of my parents, Vernon and the neighbours. It was a scandal."

"He's lucky he got your first kiss as a married woman," Remus informed her dryly, "James had to sit on Sirius to keep him from storming the alter when you said 'I do'."

"It was my wedding day!" Petunia hissed again, "What on earth would possess you to kiss a married woman on her wedding day."

"You didn't let Lily be bridesmaid and she cried about it," Sirius shrugged, "We had to get even somehow. Remus stole the first dance with the bride too, and when Dursley tried to cut in, Remus… show 'em what you did, Moony."

Remus's eyes changed to the gold of the wolf and he snarled ferociously like the terrifying beast he turned into every full moon.

"I hate it when you do that!" Petunia hissed at his, clutching her heart while Harry and Hermione both began to laugh.

"He pissed himself, right there in front of everyone at the reception."

"He still hasn't forgiven either of you. If he knows you were here today, he'll likely have a heart-attack," Petunia said tiredly when everyone began to laugh at Mr Dursley's expense.

"We can stay if you want to be rid of him," Sirius offered darkly, still smirking.

"Go, before he comes home and has a fit," she waved her hands at them all, "You're not supposed to leave yet, you know Harry. You're supposed to stay at least two months a year to renew the blood wards that protect you and us."

"You know what blood wards are?" Harry asked, startled.

Petunia actually rolled her eyes at him and Hermione giggled just a little bit at the sight. She suspected very strongly that the woman had not rolled her eyes in many long years.

"Did you think that your friends made you come back here to suffer with us every summer for nothing, Harry?" she asked him incredulously, "That they were actually heartless enough to force you into the company of people so wretched to you that you don't get given birthday or Christmas presents, just for fun?"

"Well... maybe a bit," Harry admitted, "No one ever told me why I had to come back here and it's not like I could just move into the Burrow with the Weasley's full time. That would be rude. And Sirius well… where do you live these days anyway, Sirius?"

"You'll see soon enough, Pup. Can't tell you here. I'm not Secret Keeper," Sirius winked at him, "You actually thought I let you come back to this place by choice after your third year? Even on the run, I made a case with Dumbledore to have you transferred to my care and my guardianship."

"Where would we have lived?" Harry wanted to know, looking rather touched by Sirius's words. Hermione suspected he'd been feeling especially neglected all summer given that he'd had such a bad year last year at school and then been shipped back here and kept in the dark about everything.

"With Moony," Sirius smirked, jerking a thumb at the werewolf, "Had to lay low for a bit after I escaped, of course. He was investigated again when I got away and he got the sack. But after that we could've moved in."

"Did you actually invite them both to move in, or were you just going to make room?" Hermione asked, smiling at Remus.

"A bit of both," Remus admitted, smiling in return, "I've got the space, though it's not exactly the Ritz."

"It's better than where we're living now," Sirius argued.

"Anywhere's better than there," Hermione replied.

"Too bloody right, kitten," Sirius smirked at her and Hermione startled slightly at the pet name.

"Is that why you were sneaking out this morning?" Harry wanted to know.

"Sirius is meant to be on lockdown – Dumbledore's orders – for his own safety and to keep the Ministry off him and the rest of us. But it's a wretched place for being cooped up, even with everyone coming and going," Remus explained.

"I'm going mad," Sirius told Harry cheerfully, ruffling his hair up.

Harry shot Hermione an alarmed expression as though she might confirm or deny Sirius's statement.

"Don't worry about it too much Harry," Remus told him dryly, "He's been barking for years."

"How long have you been saving that one up, Moony?" Sirius quipped, laughing at the pun.

Hermione could tell Harry was both amused and alarmed when Remus flipped Sirius the bird and downed the rest of his tea in one long gulp but didn't reply.

"Come on then, Harry," Remus said, "Let's get your gear packed. The blood ward will hold up even having you leave early. It's been fine every other year."

They all got to their feet.

"Um, Remus, can you repair that?" Hermione pointed to the mug Harry had dropped earlier where it still sat in a half-dried mess of terracotta and spilled tea on the kitchen floor.

"No can do, unfortunately," Remus shook his head, "With the way the Ministry have been after Harry, he'll be in trouble if anything not deemed to be accidental magic is performed in this area. Apparition is fine because Harry doesn't have a license and hasn't learned how to apparate yet, but everything else magic related would be blamed on Harry and the last thing we need is more trouble for him with the Ministry."

"The Ministry's giving me trouble?" Harry asked looking baffled.

"Bloody hell, Pup, how out of the loop are you?" Sirius wanted to know, "Haven't you been reading the paper?"

"Only the headlines," Harry shrugged, "I figure if Voldemort's doing anything, it will be headline news. I tried reading it a couple of weeks ago but I got so angry about all the stupid puff pieces on dragon scale prices and other rubbish that I accidentally set it on fire."

"Blimey," Sirius smirked before offering Harry a high-five.

"So, sorry about the cup Petunia, but I can't mend it for you this time, unfortunately," Remus apologised to Petunia.

"That's okay, I hated that one anyway," she admitted with a shrug, making Harry turn around and look at her with wide-eyes, "I've been hoping it will get broken for years now."

"Why didn't you just throw it away?" Sirius asked, "Or break it yourself."

"Vernon would know. It's his favourite."

"Ah, crap," Harry said, suddenly glancing at the cup he'd broken, "It's lucky I'm out of here today then. Let's get out of here before he gets home. I'm sure he'll have forgotten about it by next year."

Hermione wasn't the only one to laugh when he dashed off up the stairs to pack his trunk.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

"I want ice-cream before we go back," Sirius announced when they walked out of the Dursley's house just in time to see Mr Dursley's car coming down the street.

"Right now, Pads, really?" Remus asked, glancing over at him, "Don't you think it's more important to get Harry to HQ?"

"What for? We're all going to get chewed out for being reckless and defying Dumbledore's orders. And then we'll be stuck there on lockdown for ages. Probably until terms goes back at Hogwarts. Might as well enjoy the last hours of freedom while it lasts," Sirius shrugged his shoulders moodily.

"I'm pretty keen on ice-cream," Harry admitted, glancing at Sirius and grinning a bit.

"Me too," Hermione piped up, not wanting the entire day to have been about Sirius admitting to or learning about things that had upset him when she'd set out with the intention of cheering him up.

Remus looked between the three of them before folding his arms.

"Why do I have to play the parent and always bring up the rules and how we're supposed to follow them."

"It's the latent dregs left over from being a Prefect, mate," Sirius told him, "Now, how about you do what you always did as prefect, forget the rules and get into mischief with the rest of us, yeah?"

Remus sighed before he began to chuckle.

"Fine," he grumbled, "But someone's buying me a triple scoop of triple-choc ice-cream."

"Don't look at me, Moony," Sirius piped up, laughing when Remus pointedly did just that, "We can't be seen in the wizarding world and I don't have any muggle money."

"Neither do I," Harry sighed, fishing a handful of Galleons out of his pocket, "I forgot to get some changed over to muggle money the last time we were at Gringotts. I've been hanging out for a big block of chocolate all summer."

Sirius snorted and Remus clapped Harry on the shoulder.

"A man after my own heart," he said before fishing some chocolate – which Hermione had learned he carried at all times – from his pocket and handed some of it to Harry.

"Oh. Thanks, Remus," Harry grinned at him, biting into the chocolate as soon as he'd peeled it out of the wrapper before he groaned in delight at the flavour.

"You're all children, I swear," Hermione shook her head when Sirius held his hand out and waited for Remus to give him some chocolate as well, "But ice-cream is on me. Come on, there's a really good ice-cream parlour not far from my house."

She held her hands out to the three of them.

"You can't apparate us there, Hermione," Harry protested, "You'll have to give Remus and Sirius the address."

"You don't have a license and you shouldn't know how to apparate yet, Hermione," Remus also frowned at her.

Hermione grinned when Sirius simply reached out and took her hand, interlocking his fingers with hers as though it were the most natural thing in the world. Hermione tried not to blush at the casual touch.

"What?" Sirius said when Remus shot him a look Hermione couldn't read, "You thought I apparated us to the beach this morning?"

"Didn't you?" Remus asked, his eyes narrowed.

"Nope. Wasn't even my idea to leave the house. All her," Sirius pointed at Hermione.

"Why do I have trouble believing that?" Remus wanted to know.

"Because you're a paranoid git who worries too much about everything. Just take her hand, you pair of sods. She knows what she's doing."

"I've never Apparated or Side-Alonged before," Harry told them all nervously when Remus narrowed his eyes further on Sirius before taking Hermione's hand.

"Just close your eyes and don't think too hard about anything Harry. Let me do the thinking," Hermione smirked at him.

"I'm usually pretty good at that," Harry admitting, taking her hand and closing his eyes.

"Are you sure about this Hermione?" Remus asked her, "Side-Along Apparating three people at once isn't easy."

"It'll be fine," Hermione assured him, "And I've got a bottle of Dittany in my purse if it's not."

Sirius snorted at her words.

"You come prepared for potential splinching?" he asked, raising one eyebrow at her.

"I spend all of my time with Harry and Ron, both of whom are known for rushing head-long into dangerous and potentially harmful situations without a second-thought. I come prepared for anything, Sirius," Hermione told him before she closed her eyes, counted to three and turned sharply on the spot, Disapparating them all with a sharp crack just as Mr Dursely got out of his car and began shouting about them all getting off his lawn.

When they landed, Hermione looked around the area with interest to make sure they hadn't been spotted.

"Anyone splinched?" she asked of her three companions.

"Oh bloody hell, Hermione," Harry groaned, doubling over and clutching his stomach, looking like he might be sick.

"Easy Pup," Sirius said, patting Harry on the back, "Don't vomit on my shoes, yeah?"

"Thanks, Padfoot," Harry grumbled while Remus began to chuckle.

"You really are the brightest witch of you age, Hermione," Remus told her.

"Thanks," Hermione grinned, "Come on, the ice-cream is this way."

"I can't eat ice-cream if you're going to do that to me again," Harry told, still clutching his stomach and he followed while Sirius dragged Harry's trunk and Hedwig's cage along. It was empty, given that they'd sent Hedwig ahead to headquarters, knowing she knew the way.

"Don't be such a wuss, Potter," Hermione retorted and Sirius began to laugh long and loud, startling some of the muggles nearby.

"Are you always this much of a drama-queen, Pup?" Sirius wanted to know, slinging his arm around his godson.

"Never," Harry replied, "That sucked. Why does anyone ever Apparate?"

"It's quick, it's easy, and you get used to that jerk behind your navel," Sirius told him.

"What about the bit where you feel like you've been sucked up a vacuum and spat out somewhere else?"

"That stays, but you do get used to it," Sirius told him, "How've you been anyway kid? Haven't seen you in months."

"I'm alright," Harry shrugged, "Pissed off about being left at the Dursley's all summer. Dudley's been beating up ten year olds. I've been wandering the neighbourhood like a stray dog."

"Causing trouble?" Sirius smirked at the simile.

"None to cause by myself," Harry sighed, "Though when I got bored the other day, I started stuffing all the junk-mail I could scavenge from everyone else's yards and stuffing it all in my next-door neighbour's mailbox to get her to stop turning the sprinklers on next to the fence when she knows I'm in the garden."

"What are you doing in your neighbour's garden?" Sirius asked.

"I wasn't in her garden, I was in the Dursley's. Uncle Vernon gets stroppy when I try to watch the muggle news, listening for scraps about Voldemort or Death Eater activity, so I've taken to lying in the flowerbed under the window to listen to the news where he can't grouse at me. Mrs Hixton doesn't appreciate the idea of me being in the garden at all since it sets her stupid Chihuahua barking. She turns the sprinklers on me. I've been bombarding her with all the junk-mail I can find, along with several pamphlets for one of those adult stores that opened in the village down the road. The store girl thinks I'm a perve, probably, but I've been collecting about fifty pamphlets a day and stuffing them all in Mrs Hixton's mailbox. Maybe if she gets herself laid or has a good wank she won't be such an uppity bitch."

"Woah!" Remus began to laugh, "I've never heard you curse like that Harry."

"Sorry," Harry said sheepishly while Hermione peered over her shoulder, also surprised at his language, "There's a couple of older kids in the neighbourhood, the few who don't run with Dudley's band of dickheads. I've been hanging out with them when I don't want to go home until after Uncle Vernon's asleep. The heat makes him an even crankier bastard than usual."

"Troublemakers, I take it?" Sirius asked curiously.

"Oh yeah," Harry chuckled, "And they all think I go to St Brutus's Correctional College for Wayward boys, so they think I'm a delinquent. Had a reputation and a back-story to uphold. Can I get one of those?"

Harry held out his hand to Sirius, who Hermione noticed was in the middle of fishing a packet of cigarettes out of his pocket and lighting one up.

"You took up smoking too?" Hermione demanded, spinning on the two of them and narrowing her eyes as Sirius flicked his lighter and lit the cancerous stick of death.

"Yeah," Harry sighed, "Don't tell Mrs Weasley, please? The other lads were all smoking and they help me keep my temper in check. I'd have blasted Uncle Vernon's head off weeks ago if I hadn't started up with these. It's why I don't have any muggle money left for chocolate actually. That girl at the adult shop pays me twenty bucks a day for delivering those pamphlets, but she got a bit stroppy with me when Mrs Hixton took a big wad of them down there and threw them in her face, demanding she not deliver anymore."

"Did the old bitch buy anything before she stormed out?" Sirius wanted to know, not batting an eye as he handed Harry his lit cigarette before fishing another one out of the pack and lighting it up for himself.

"Yeah," Harry laughed, "Candy – the shop-girl – told me the old hag demanded she not be papered with pamphlets anymore before buying some kind of device that vibrates to better fuck herself. Course then Candy smacked me upside the head for sticking every pamphlet in Mrs Hixton's mailbox and tried to tell me I'd have to return the money if I didn't do the job properly."

"Oh Harry," Hermione covered her face with her hands in horror at his language, his smoking and his clear amusement and disregard for other people's privacy.

"Leave off Hermione," Harry told her, rolling his eyes at her, "Just loosen up for once, yeah? You already snuck Sirius out of the house. Here, try this, you'll feel better."

He took a long drag on his cigarette before offering it to her, filter end first.

"I don't like them," Hermione sighed, waving the thing away and watching as Remus accepted it from Harry instead, also ingesting the smoke and tobacco.

He let out a purring sort of growl as he did so, closing his eyes and holding the smoke in his lungs for as long as he could.

"How do you know you don't like them if you haven't tried them?" Harry challenged, taking the cigarette back and drawing on it again.

"How do you know I haven't tried them?" Hermione challenged in return, "Contrary to what you lot might think, I don't actually spend all of my holidays running after you idiots at the Burrow or HQ."

"Is this the bit where we get back to what you meant earlier when you said you know more about _that_ than I might think?" Sirius chuckled, his grey eyes gleaming with amusement.

"She said what?" Harry choked on his drag.

"She was telling me how physical a being her old flame was," Sirius smirked at Harry and Remus whistled low.

"I'm not sure if I should be hearing this," the werewolf laughed.

"You fucked Krum?" Harry asked, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open.

"Must you be so vulgar?" Hermione demanded, stomping her foot in annoyance, "And not that it's any of your business, but no I didn't 'fuck Krum'." She made bunny ears with her fingers as she quoted him, "For your information that is not at all what I meant, and Sirius, I'm never telling you anything again."

"Hey 'Mione, do me a favour?" Sirius said, smirking wickedly at her in return, "Say 'fuck' again."

Narrowing her eyes on Sirius and without thinking, Hermione stomped right up and into his personal space, noticing as she did so that he was a good six or seven inches taller than her. Stamping up to him until she was practically nose to nose with the Animagus, Hermione opened her mouth and said, "Fuck. You."

"Holy shit," Harry started to laugh at her attitude, "It's bloody brilliant when you swear."

Sirius seemed to agree if his smirk was anything to go by, though he didn't comment. Instead he tipped his head back and exhaled his smoke over her head.

"Go on then, Hermione," Remus inserted into the conversation, "Tell us how you know you don't like smoking."

"It burns my throat," Hermione sighed, rolling her eyes and turning away from Sirius to continue down the street towards the ice-cream parlour, "I tried it when I was in France with my parents last summer. A bunch of the people I was spending time with were all doing it and they already thought I was weird, so I might've had a momentary lapse in judgement and caved to peer pressure."

"What? You?" Harry asked, sounding astonished, "And why didn't I know this already? I feel I should've known this. Why didn't you tell me last year at school?"

"When would I have had a chance to slot into conversation just what I have and haven't tried my hand at Harry?" Hermione asked, glancing over her shoulder at him, "If the opportunity ever actually arises when you and Ron talk about something that isn't Quidditch, how much you hate Snape, or how much homework you still haven't gotten to yet, do you know what you discuss with me?"

"What books you recommend we use to finish our homework, whether or not you can be talked into doing our homework for us, or Voldemort or Triwizard Tournaments or a potentially homicidal Azkaban-escapee, or Basilisks or Philosopher's Stones," Harry answered, exhaling more smoke, "Shit. I'm a bloody berk of a friend, aren't I?"

"Sometimes," Hermione replied truthfully, "But you'll notice none of those topics involve me divulging how far I've gone with a guy, who my first kiss was or who I'm crushing on, won't you?"

"Ah hell," Harry sighed, and Hermione could tell he felt bad now. When she looked at him over her shoulder again he was rubbing the back of his neck and looking a bit sheepish.

She watched as Remus took another long drag, this time from Sirius's cigarette, and made that same purring-growl sound again. It unnerved her slightly that she rather liked the sound and it kind of made the hairs on her arms stand up.

"Oi, wait a minute," Harry said suddenly, "You've already had your first kiss?"

"Mate, I reckon by now she's had her first shag," Sirius laughed at him.

"Really?" Harry blinked, "Hermione, who?"

"As if I'm going to tell you three when Sirius can't keep his mouth shut?" Hermione retorted.

"Bloody hell, that wasn't a denial. Hermione, how old are you?" Remus asked, frowning at her.

"I'll be sixteen next month," Hermione told the, leading them into the ice-cream store, "Why?"

"Huh…" Remus said, "I thought you were the same age as Harry. Thought you were still fourteen, or just gone fifteen. Still though, aren't you a bit young to be… erm…?"

"You're being a parent again, Moony," Sirius laughed when Remus suddenly looked awkward, "And I reckon you better jam your notions of telling anyone they're too young for sleeping around considering how old you were when you surrendered your 'V' plates."

"How old were you Moony?" Harry asked nosily.

"That's hardly…" Remus began but Sirius interrupted.

"He was thirteen," Sirius grinned, "And he scored with a seventh year bird first go out the gate. Where was it again, mate? Behind the greenhouses?"

"Behind the statue of the gargoyle right outside the teacher's lounge," Remus said, his cheeks turning crimson.

"You were third year and you nailed a seventh year?" Harry asked, looking impressed.

Hermione rolled her eyes at their antics when Harry offered his hand to Remus to shake on a job well done. Sirius was pissing himself laughing at Remus's blush.

"Bloody hell," Remus sighed, shaking Harry's hand, "Sirius, you're supposed to be a good role model, not corrupt them!"

"I'm not corrupting them. You were the one shagging seventh years when you were thirteen."

"You lost your V card to the same bird two weeks later, Padfoot," Remus protested.

"Yeah, but I'm older than you. I was fourteen by then."

"As though it makes a difference?" Remus snorted.

"You'd tell me it made a difference if I told you I was thirteen instead of fourteen," Hermione piped up, before turning to the ice-cream server, "Hey, can I get a triple scoop, triple-choc cone. A double butterscotch and pecan in a bowl. Harry you want a cone, or a bowl?"

"Bowl," he told her. He opened his mouth to give his order, but Hermione cut him off, knowing his favourite flavours by heart.

"Triple scoop caramel swirl and triple-choc. That's two caramel, one chocolate in a bowl. And…." She glanced at Sirius, who looked amused by her attitude and still seemed to be intrigued after she'd sworn at him, "I'm thinking a triple scoop of… raspberry ripple and mocha almond fudge. One of the raspberry, two of the fudge."

"Now you're ordering for me?" he asked, raising his eyebrows challengingly.

"Change the order if you don't like what I picked," Hermione replied, sticking her tongue out at him.

He shook his head.

"I'm still waiting to hear who your first kiss was and who – if - you've shagged," Harry told her while Hermione fished out the appropriate amount of money from her purse and handed it to the server.

"Are you sure you really want to know, Harry?" Hermione asked, slanting a glance at him, "You might not like the answer."

"Is it someone bad? I reckon if you've shagged anyone it was probably Krum. Dunno about your first kiss though. I should know this already," he informed her.

"You won't like the answer," Hermione told him, flicking her hair.

"Tell me anyway?" Harry asked, "I've been a crummy friend, apparently."

"Don't say crummy, Pup," Sirius smirked, "Probably turns her on."

Hermione flipped him the bird without even thinking about it, earning another low whistle from Remus and a shocked expression from Harry.

"You're not funny, Padfoot," Hermione told him, "My first kiss was a boy named Louis Democles when I was ten. My first snog was in second year… Theodore Nott."

"Urgh, you snogged Nott?" Harry recoiled immediately, "What the hell were you thinking?"

Hermione rolled her eyes, "I told you that you wouldn't like the answer. And I was thinking I'd been stuck under that wretched enchanted mistletoe at school with him for twenty minutes, was late for class and needed to get going before anyone could see us. He was thinking I was a mudblood he didn't want to touch at all, let alone snog. You should've seen him dance around like an idiot as though he thought I had cooties."

"If he didn't want to touch you, how you get him to snog you?" Remus asked, accepting his ice-cream cone and beginning to eat it hungrily.

"I had places to be and I got impatient. I grabbed him and I kissed him," Hermione shrugged, "Only, once he realised he wasn't going to drop dead from touching a muggle-born, he realised he was kissing me and seemed to decide it wasn't so bad after all. Snogged him for a good ten minute before Mrs Norris started sniffing around and we both bolted before Filch could catch us."

"I'd been feeling better, but now I feel ill again," Harry announced dramatically even as he accepted his ice-cream.

"Shut up and eat your ice-cream, you git. You're just sore because you've yet to snog anyone," Hermione told him.

"Oooh, those are fighting words, Pup. You've snogged a bird, right?"

"Uh…" Harry glanced at Hermione for a minute, rubbing the back of his neck, "Don't tell Ron, alright 'Mione?"

"Something you've yet to tell me, Harry?" Hermione asked, narrowing her eyes on him.

"Ginny snogged me last year," Harry told her, "Same sort of scenario as you and Nott. Mistletoe. Got stuck. Didn't have to wait around twenty minutes though. She looked up, saw why we were stuck, grabbed me, snogged me and bolted before I could get a word in."

"It was _you!"_ Hermione gasped suddenly, pointing her finger at him, "Oh, I knew she was holding out on me with something! She told me she'd snogged someone when she got stuck but she wouldn't tell me who and she wouldn't stop grinning every time she saw the three of us."

Harry began to laugh at her amusement when Hermione snapped her fingers, making a mental note to wallop Ginny.

"Damn it Harry, you just cost me five sickles!" Hermione growled at him as they all collected their ice-cream and exited the shop, strolling down the street.

"You had a bet going about me snogging Ginny?" Harry asked.

"Yeah," Hermione shrugged, "Ginny bet me five sickles that she could be your first kiss, without having to stomp right up to you and force herself on you."

"Why didn't she tell you about it then, if she can collect her winnings?" Harry wanted to know.

"Probably because she's too bloody honourable and figured mistletoe didn't count as not forcing herself on you," Hermione rolled her eyes, "Is she the only one?"

Harry smirked wickedly at her for a moment before eating a big scoop of _her_ ice-cream.

"Let's just say it's been an interesting summer, yeah?" he suggested, "Unless you're going to share on the shagging information?"

"Are you blackmailing me, Harry Potter?" Hermione demanded, her eyes widening in shock at his words and his expression.

"Looks like it," Harry grinned, "I'm kind of pissed that your first kiss was almost four years ago and you didn't tell me."

"You didn't tell me about kissing Ginny last year," Hermione argued.

"Figured it didn't much count when the little swot ran off and wouldn't even talk to me or look at me for months afterwards," Harry shrugged.

"Maybe you're just rubbish at it, Pup," Sirius chuckled at his answer.

"I can't be blamed for that. I had no idea what I was doing. Suddenly I was being assaulted and she stuck her tongue in my mouth and the next thing I knew I was standing in an empty corridor with sprigs of mistletoe stuck in my hair, a wet face and half-hard to boot," Harry shrugged unrepentantly.

Sirius and Remus both began to roar with laughter, and Hermione shook her head, trying not to giggle.

"Too much information, Harry," Hermione told him, "That was an overshare. You're not supposed to overshare."

"Yes you are," Sirius replied, "Me, Prongs and Moony always overshared."

"Probably not with Lily or the other girls you were friends with though," Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, but you're not just some girl I'm friends with, Hermione," Harry told her, slinging his arm around her shoulders and tugging her to his side, "You're practically one of the guys."

"And that is why I had to find an alternative date to the Yule Ball last year even though both you and Ron were dateless," Hermione informed him dryly.

"Ron was so pissed off about that," Harry chuckled, remembering the evening, "Bloody git. If he hadn't been such a grumpy sod, I reckon Padma would've let him feel her up at the very least."

"I'm sure that would've been delightful for her," Hermione rolled her eyes, "Now I'm glad I wasn't his date."

Harry snorted.

"Really?" Harry asked, "I thought you fancied him, for a bit."

Hermione shook her head.

"I happen to have standards, Harry. And they include the need for whoever I'm interested in to know how to chew with their mouth closed."

"He does need to work on that," Harry agreed, "Now are you going to tell me if you've shagged anyone or not?"

"Why would I do that?" Hermione asked, laughing at his frank question.

"Oi, we're going in here," Sirius told them, latching onto Hermione's arm and dragging her and Harry into an old record store they were passing.

"Bloody hell, Pads," Remus groaned, "You know you're not allowed in record stores!"

Remus hurried after Sirius as he dragged them all inside before he began searching the stacks and crowing with delight when he came across his favourite records. Hermione felt a smile pull at the corners of her mouth as she watched him begin collecting a big pile of the records selling for cheap thanks to the CD era taking over and pushing them out. She was pleased to see him looking like he was in a better mood. Since Remus had finished his ice-cream and Sirius hadn't, the minute Remus was within reach, Sirius dumped all the records he wanted into Remus's hands.

"Is he alright, Hermione?" Harry asked her quietly, keeping one arm around her like it was the most natural thing in the world. He drew her away from the pair of now-bickering Marauders, tugging her over to a dusty stand in the corner.

"Where we've been living… he's locked in and he's miserable there Harry. You'll see why when we get there, but it's the last place he wants to be. I had to get him out today. He's not losing it, I don't think. No more than he already had… but he's very unhappy. He drinks a lot. Smokes a lot there too, though he smokes a pipe around the others. I often find him in the back garden transfiguring the watering can into a number of different things, lost in thought and smoking his pipe."

"I'm glad you busted him out, though I'm a bit surprised," Harry admitted, still watching his godfather as Sirius continued handing records to Remus while Remus began sneakily putting most of them back on the shelves.

"He just looked so miserable this morning, like he was actually doubting his sanity. I had to get him out of there. Remus came looking soon after and then we came to get you. They've both really missed you, you know? Everyone's been really worried about you. I've missed you too."

Harry grinned at her, pressing her closer to him in a full hug before dropping a kiss to the top of her head casually.

"I missed you too, 'Mione," he told her quietly, "It's been a rough summer."

"Nightmares?" Hermione guessed.

"Among other things," Harry nodded, "My scar hurts most of the time and the muggles were driving me 'round the twist. I know you're probably really pissed at me about the smoking, but so far it's the only thing that helps. That and I beat the hell out of Dudley a few weeks ago when he said something that pissed me off. Aunt Petunia was furious, and the git got a few good punches on me too. Since then I've been having to keep out of the house when Uncle Vernon's around or he snarls at me constantly. The lack of sleep combined with the rage, the scar and everything else means I nearly destroy the house most days."

"How long have you been smoking?" Hermione asked, leaning against him rather than letting him go.

"Since about two weeks into the summer," Harry sighed, "You mad at me?"

"A bit," Hermione nodded, "You know it's bad for you and you know it's addictive. Not to mention if you get caught you'll be in big trouble with Mrs Weasley, or if you get caught at school you'll likely be in detention all year. And the alternative is to quit, which will make your temper all the more explosive."

"Yeah, I know," Harry sighed, "Figured I just won't quit until all this shit blows over. I'm not likely to live out our bloody schooling with Voldemort back anyway, so I can't say I'm overly concerned with the long-term health risks."

"I don't like it when you say things like that," Hermione told him quietly, still hugging him close.

"I know. I'm sorry," Harry whispered, "Now, I don't like that we've been keeping things from each other. So tell me, what else have you tried? Have you had sex?"

Hermione snorted at his change of the subject, clearly not wanting to be bummed out again.

"Yes," Hermione admitted in a whisper of her own, "Over the summer. I went to see Viktor in Bulgaria for a week at the start of the summer. I… I slept with him. We'd already been close last year while he was at school with us."

Harry began to chuckle.

"You realise this means you have the best 'how I lost my virginity' story, right, Hermione?" Harry told her, "Everyone else get the "Oh it was behind the greenhouses at Hogwarts", or the 'oh, it was a seventh year tart outside the Teacher's lounge'. You get the; 'I lost my virginity to international Quidditch Superstar, Viktor Krum. No, you can't have an interview, but yes, he was terribly surly the whole time.'"

Hermione snorted at Harry's words.

"He wasn't surly by the time I was finished with him," she retorted before pulling back and clapping her hand over her mouth in shock, "I did not just say that! Besides, just think about the stories the girls will tell about you when you start sleeping around. It'll be, 'oh I lost my virginity to Harry Potter, Triwizard Tournament winner, Basilisk Slayer, Saviour of the wizarding world and all around Chosen One, don't you know?' They'll swoon and sigh and giggle like annoying little bints and we'll all have to constantly taste test your food for love potion to make sure you're not accidentally poisoned when your spurned lovers seek to win you back."

"I think you're dramatically overestimating my abilities," Harry replied dryly, though he looked extremely amused, "And you did just say something wicked and naughty and so entirely non-Hermione that I'm wondering what else you've been up to."

"Bit of this, bit of that," Hermione grinned evasively, "It's your turn for a confession. What have you been doing that's made for an 'interesting summer'?"

Harry rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, pulling back from hugging her and fingering the fabric of a band-shirt the store was selling.

"I uh... well, I haven't been hanging with a very good crowd these holidays, Hermione," Harry admitted, "And they think I'm a delinquent who attends an all boy's school for criminals, so I had to, you know, kind of depravedly sink into my interest in birds for the summer."

"You slept with someone too, didn't you?" Hermione asked him.

"No," Harry shook his head, "Got pretty close though. I went to a muggle party with my... er, muggle friends. There was alcohol. Underage drinking. Smoking. The girl was pretty drunk, honestly. So was I, really."

"Are we talking, second or third base here, Harry?" Hermione grinned at him, unable to believe they were sharing sex stories, but rather amused by the idea nonetheless.

"What's the difference?" Harry asked blankly.

"Aw, Pup," Sirius appeared behind them, "First is snogging. Second is copping a feel. Third is usually a blowjob, given or received. Home run is when you nail 'em."

"Right," Harry blinked and Hermione began to laugh as he had to think about it, "Third base then."

"Little Harry Potter," Hermione teased, "All grown up and going down on a girl."

"How do you know what I did?" Harry asked.

"Because you're making the face most guys make the first time they've been down on a girl and aren't sold on the idea of ever doing it again as a result of taste, smell or complete awkwardness. If she went down on you, you'd be wearing the type of goofy look Sirius has on his face right now."

Hermione nodded to Sirius who looked like he was daydreaming about being given a blowjob.

"Right," Harry said again, smirking at Sirius's expression even though he blushed bit, "Well. I'm a bit alarmed you know these things, Hermione. Something you'd like to share with the class?"

Hermione rolled her eyes at him.

"I can't tell if you're asking me if I know the difference based on seeing someone go down on me, or if you think I've done another girl."

"Tell me it's the second one, kitten?" Sirius said wickedly, tugging on one of her curls.

"What if I have done a girl?" she challenged, "I think Harry's brain might melt if I tell him that."

"Harry needs to adjust to the idea of you being a sexual deviant then," Sirius grinned.

"You've done a girl?" Harry asked her, eyeing her curiously now.

"Not the way you're imaging," Hermione sighed, "But do try to remember that I tend to spend at least part of every summer in European countries, won't you?"

"Snogged another bird then?" Sirius asked while Harry looked gobsmacked.

"What's it to you?" Hermione challenged.

"You really don't want me to answer that, love," Sirius winked.

"Who was your first snog then, Padfoot?" Harry asked of his godfather, looking mildly alarmed by the banter between Hermione and Sirius.

Sirius's smirk widened.

"Go on and tell him, Pads," Remus said, also smirking.

"You think he'll handle it?"

"Tell him and we'll see."

"My first snog was..." Sirius paused for dramatic effect, "James."

"What? Really?"

"And you, Remus?" Hermione asked, nudging the werewolf when he started to chortle.

"Sirius," Remus said, pointing at Padfoot.

"Don't have a cow, Pup," Sirius ruffled Harry's hair affectionately again when Harry spluttered incoherently, "It was James' idea. He was stupid over Lily from the start of second year onwards. Reckoned we didn't want to make ponces of ourselves when we got around to snogging birds. Reckoned we better practice so we'd know what we were doing and could wow the socks off a bird when the time came."

"You snogged... my dad?" Harry said slowly, "And... each other?"

Remus began to laugh.

"'Good practice', James called it," he said, "And you've seen the number of times the magical mistletoe at Hogwarts traps unwitting wanderers under it. You reckon we all wanted to stand around when we snuck out after curfew? Wait 'til morning for some bird to come along and free us? Not a chance. Already done it once, what's it matter after that?"

"Bloody hell," Harry muttered, looking rather alarmed by the notion.

"Is this a practice you still keep to?" Hermione curiously when Sirius reached over and ruffled Remus's hair too.

"We don't tend to get stuck under mistletoe very often anymore. Spent last Christmas together, you know, but I don't put that shite up in the house at my place," Remus shrugged.

"Fred and George are already keen for stringing it everywhere for Christmas at HQ," Hermione warned them.

"Bloody idiots," Sirius rolled his eyes, "You better get ready for the idea of snogging just about everyone then, 'Mione. Pretty sure siblings snogging will be frowned on and Molly's too stern to do it for those of us not her husband. Not a lot of other witches frequent the place with any regularity 'cept for Tonks and... well."

He trailed off when Remus growled very softly, his eyes brightening to gold.

"I knew you fancied her," Hermione accused the werewolf, sticking her finger in front of his nose and not at all reacting to seeing his alter-ego lurking in his eye as a possessive gleam entered them over the idea of Tonks snogging anyone who wasn't him. They weren't dating, but Hermione was encouraging the idea at every opportunity.

"Course he fancies her. He's just a stubborn arse," Sirius told her, "Always has been. He's got stupid notions about actually dating witches. He'll fuck 'em all, cool as you please, but he doesn't date."

"Ridiculous," Hermione rolled her eyes, pretending Remus wasn't standing there while they discussed him, "Lycanthropy is in no way passed on genetically and I know for a fact that a certain Metamorphmagus we all know and love doesn't give a hoot about prejudice. She faces it anyway because of what she is. She doesn't care a bit that a certain werewolf we also happen to know and love thinks he's special just because he gets furry once a month. She gets furry whenever she wants."

"I know," Sirius wrinkled his nose, "She showed me the other day. Not animagi mind. She never bothered with that. She just made her whole body furry like she was a bloody Yeti or something."

"I'm still in the room, you know?" Remus said dryly, rolling his eyes at Harry.

"Oh, Remus," Sirius pretended to spot his best friend, "Didn't see you there. We were, uh, discussing Hermione's terms of surrender in regard to a game of chess when we get back."

"You're a bloody idiot," Remus told his best friend, "And you're leading others into your wickedness. Again. This is how you ended up being my first snog in the first place."

"Don't pretend you didn't love it, mate," Sirius retorted, grinning widely, "Totally got him half-hard right out the gate."

"What'd you do? Pounce on him under mistletoe, stick your tongue in and then run off?" Harry asked his godfather, clearly moving past the idea of his Dad and his dad's friends all snogging despite all being male, "If so, I empathize, Moony."

Remus chuckled.

"Think you still would if it had been Ron instead of Ginny who did it to you the first time?"

"Probably wouldn't have had that effect," Harry said with a shrug, looking mildly alarmed by the idea, "Dunno. Can't say I've ever snogged another bloke."

"You're missing out," Hermione told him, "Guys kiss better than girls, in my experience."

"You haven't snogged enough girls if you think that 'Mi... Mione," Sirius told her, slinging at arm around her.

"What are the chances that I could talk you into snogging Ginny?" Harry asked, tipping his head to one side speculatively.

"Not very high," Hermione told him, "You reckon Ron wouldn't murder me as surely as he'd murder you? Besides, I'm pretty sure she's dating someone."

"Really?" Harry asked his brow wrinkling slightly.

"I think so. She's been a bit evasive about it because Ron is always poking his nose in, so it hasn't been easy to get her to tell me," Hermione shrugged, "Sirius, you do realise this place won't take wizarding currency, don't you?"

Sirius glanced sideways at her before glancing at the pile of records he'd convinced Remus to hold for him while they were talking as he continued to wander around the shop, picking up as many records as took his fancy.

"Shit. Well, maybe the clerk will hold them for me and I'll come back with muggle money," he said.

"You don't need any of these anyway, Pads," Remus told him, "You've got at least half of them buried in a box at my place."

"I do bloody so need them. If I have to be stuck in the house and not allowed out, I need something to keep me from going completely spare. And my pile should be bigger than that," Sirius pouted, "You've been putting them away again!"

He pointed accusingly at Remus, who smirked and did not deny the accusation.

"You don't have the money for them," Remus shrugged unapologetically.

"Yeah well, I could come back with it, couldn't I?"

"You imagine Dumbledore's not going to hex both our bollocks off after you snuck out, directly defying his rules? We're contributing to the delinquency of a minor because Hermione's not supposed to leave Headquarters without an escort either. And to top it off we nabbed Harry from his Aunt and Uncle's place before we were meant to, throwing off the schedule they've all been fighting over on how best to collect him."

"Saving 'em some trouble," Sirius shrugged, "And I reckon I could convince Fred and George to distract everyone else long enough for me to get out of the house again to buy a few records."

"How much trouble, exactly, are we likely to be in?" Harry wanted to know though he was still eyeing Hermione as though thinking about the idea of her as a sexual being and suddenly realising how much she'd filled out over the summer.

"Well, see now what I'm thinking is," Sirius began, "We're going to shove you at them all first so they can see you're fine. And your presence will sufficiently distract them all enough, I reckon, to make them forget for at least an hour that we snuck out."

"Fat chance, Pads," Remus snorted, "Molly's going to tear you a new one and then everyone else will be on us too. And I just know I'll end up wearing the most flack over it because everyone knows you're a reckless, irresponsible ponce. Hermione's too good a girl to possibly have come up with this day of freedom, and Harry's an innocent victim of our whim. So I'll be busted because I'm meant to be responsible."

"I reckon if you snarl at them loud enough, they'll jam it up their arses," Sirius told him, taking his selections and carrying his pile of records over to the muggle at register, "Oi. Can you hold these for me if I come back tomorrow to pick 'em up?"

"We don't do holds," the muggle man told them, eyeing Sirius's shirt and selection with some approval.

"Bugger," Sirius sighed.

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Pick the three you want most," she told him, elbowing him when he looked like he'd just been told there was no Santa Claus.

"What? Nah, I can't let you buy me more shit, Hermione," Sirius said, glancing at her with his brow furrowed, "You already paid for my breakfast and everyone's ice-cream."

Hermione rolled her eyes and took the pile of records from him.

"Fine. I'll pick the three I like best and you lot can go stand outside and smoke those death-sticks. We've got to get back and I'm fairly certain you'll all be jonesing for more tobacco by the time Mrs Weasley and Professor Dumbledore are done with you."

"You know what, Moony?" Sirius said after staring at Hermione for a minute with a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth, "I think 'Mione's a bad influence on us."

"Yeah, it's Hermione who's been leading us into trouble since we met on the bloody train twenty-five years ago," Remus scoffed, "Come on. If I have to be yelled at, I'm having a whole smoke to myself this time." He grabbed Sirius's arm and tugged on it, "And Harry, I don't much approve that you're hooked on the bloody things either, but you're going to need one too. If Molly catches you smoking once you get the HQ she'll murder all of us, so you better enjoy it, Pup."

Harry nodded his head in agreement and Hermione smiled when she caught the way he looked happy at having both Sirius and Remus refer to him as 'Pup', the term of endearment falling from their lips easily and affectionately.

"Oi, quit eyeing your best friend like you want to fuck her too," Sirius nudged him in the ribs when Harry was caught still eyeing her strangely.

"I don't want to fuck her," Harry confessed, "I'm just noticing that she turned into a girl sometime while I was running around being a bloody dickhead and nearly getting myself killed."

"Well spotted, mate," Sirius rolled his eyes before the three of them left the shop.

"Which ones you want, miss?" the store-clerk asked her.

"I want all of them actually," Hermione grinned at him, "But could you put these three in a separate bag to the rest. He's got a birthday coming up and I'm going to surprise him with the rest later."

"All of 'em?" he asked, blinking in surprise.

"Yes, these others too," Hermione ran around the shop quickly gathering a number of the records she'd seen Remus put back on the shelves when Sirius wasn't looking, "And… these too."

Hermione grabbed four band t-shirts, including the one Harry had been fingering while they'd whispered to one another. It was a Cheap Trick shirt all in black with 'I Want You To Want Me' scrawled across the front. Hermione chuckled to herself as she imagined Harry wearing it around Ginny. She picked three shirts in sizes that would fit the wizards she'd sent outside for their tobacco addiction, in addition to a much smaller one for herself with 'The Beatles' splashed on the front in a pretty font. It was cream with little blue cap-sleeves in the shade of faded denim blue and the lettering was black.

For Sirius she grabbed a T. Rex shirt celebrating their hit 'Get It On', figuring he was likely a fan given the topics and the rock and roll genre of the music. Hermione also couldn't help but snigger to herself as she found a Credence Clearwater Revival shirt tributed to 'Bad Moon Rising' that she thought was just a little too funny not to buy for Remus.

"It'll give me an excuse for having such a big bag," Hermione explained to the salesman when he looked at her quizzically, "Put those three albums that match the bands for the boys' shirts in one smaller bag for me to give Sirius and pop the rest of the records in the bottom of the second under the shirts."

"You got enough to pay for all these?" the man wanted to know.

"Just ring it all up and take this," Hermione told the man, handing over a hundred pound note that her Mum insisted she always carry for emergencies. The muggle shut up and did his job after that, following all of her directives.

When Hermione left the shop a few minute later with two bags in hand, she made sure to cast a Feather-light charm on the bag to make it look like it wasn't filled with almost thirty records. She found the three wizards standing on the corner a ways down the street, all of them routinely holding lit cigarettes to their lips as they breathed in the smoke before continuing to talk about whatever they were discussing.

Hermione stopped for a moment simply to watch them. They looked happy, all three of them. At least, as happy as a werewolf, an ex-convict and the orphaned wizarding world's saviour could look. For a moment, it was all too easy for her mind to superimpose the idea of James being in Harry's place, laughing and smoking and shoving around with Remus and Sirius. She imagined, as she watched them, that Remus and Sirius were facing the same thought as Harry threw his head back and laughed about something. They shared a look with one another as they each finished their cigarettes and despite their matching grins, Sirius fished his pack of smokes out of his pocket and offered another one to Remus and then to Harry as the younger wizard finished his own, dropped it and stomped on it.

Hermione was pleased when Harry stooped and picked up the stomped cigarette butt before he dropped it in a trashcan they were standing next to. At least he was still mindful not to litter and be a complete delinquent, even if he had taken up smoking. She shook her head over the very idea.

If she was being honest, she didn't have much of a leg to stand on in order to be disapproving of his behaviour. There were a lot of things she did when she went to France and visited with her cousin, Sarah, or when they all travelled together through Europe that would make Harry's straight, messy hair begin to curl. Sarah was French, she was a muggle, and she was three years older than Hermione. In an attempt to make sure she wasn't excluded when she visited with her family, Hermione did a number of things that would shock Harry Potter's socks off.

She'd snogged another girl on a dare. She'd snogged a number of other boys on dares too, and she'd had a brief fling with a French boy named Jaques last summer. Not to mention she'd been dating Viktor for several months and had visited with him and his family in Bulgaria. Europe was a place where many cultures clashed and combined and Hermione knew she went silly whenever she was over there. She was still responsible, but Sarah was a bad influence.

Her cousin had been responsible for Hermione trying alcohol and getting pissed the first time. She'd been behind Hermione smoking one night. She'd even given Hermione cannabis and offered her some other recreational drugs Hermione hadn't been game to try. Hermione didn't like that Harry was apparently a smoker, but she understood it. The control required from smoking, and the effect of the nicotine on the system had a calming, yet stimulating effect.

She got it. She didn't much like it, but she got it.

As she observed them quietly, Hermione saw the way Remus tensed suddenly before lifting his head and scenting the breeze as it blew from behind her, carrying her scent in their direction. He turned towards her, ever the predator no matter how harmless he seemed most of the time, and Hermione smiled when she saw the glow of wolf-gold in his eyes. She felt a swell of affection for all three wizards as she watched them turn towards her. The sun was going down behind them, glimmering through the trees and making them look like something out a movie.

She knew she had a bit of a crush on Sirius already, hence her willingness to break the rules and bust him out of the house today. But as she looked at Remus, Hermione kind of thought maybe she had a bit of a crush on him too. She'd done so when he'd been their teacher in third year, even after she'd figured out he was a werewolf. If she was being honest, as she looked at all three wizards where they stood smoking and grinning at her, Hermione decided that even Harry looked pretty good right then. Not that she fancied him or was attracted to him, per se. But he did look much more grown up than he'd done in previous years at school.

He'd grown several inches, and he'd obviously stopped bothering with trying to control his hair. It stuck up all over the place in every direction, gleaming ink-black in the sunshine. He was beginning to fill out, seeming to have surpassed the gangly, lanky stage Ron had been dealing with and pushing toward adulthood all the faster. Hermione knew that she was facing the same thing. When she'd been in France with her mother, Hermione had had to buy a new swimsuit and several new bras to accommodate her increasing bust.

She hadn't grown any taller, but she'd taken on a more womanly shape, her waist dipping in and her hips widening.

"Whatcha got there, 'Mione?" Sirius wanted to know, nodding at the second bag she carried as she moved towards them, smiling to herself.

"It's a surprise," Hermione told him, "These are for you."

She handed him the bag with the three records she'd picked out that matched the t-shirts she'd bought them.

"Your favourites?" Sirius grinned.

"They might be, they might not," Hermione shrugged her shoulders as he took the bag from her fingers.

Without even thinking about it, Hermione took his cigarette from his other hand and brought it to her lips, drawing the smoke into her mouth carefully before breathing it deep into her lungs. She felt the way all three sets of eyes rested on her as she did so before she handed the cigarette back to Sirius.

"Thought they hurt your throat?" Remus asked, watching her hold the smoke in her lungs for a few moments before she exhaled the smoke in a stream.

Harry looked impressed that she hadn't coughed or choked on it. Sirius eyed her like he thought she'd just done something terribly sexy and she nearly blushed.

"They do," Hermione told Remus, "I prefer pipes to cigarettes. My Grandfather smokes one with cloves. It's my favourite thing to smoke. These burn my throat a bit more than the cloves do."

You smoke with your grandfather?" Harry asked her, "Did I even know your grandfather was still alive?"

Hermione chuckled, "Most of my family live in France, but Pop moved back to England when I was nine. When Mum wasn't looking while he was over, he'd let me puff his pipe sometimes. Especially if I was wired and wouldn't go to bed. Every time I visit with him, he insists on sharing with me. Sometimes I think he just likes having someone to smoke with since neither of my parents smoke and Nana used to smoke it with him before she died."

"It's like you have this secret life that I don't even know about," Harry shook his head drawing on his cigarette again.

"That's because I do," Hermione laughed at him, "I don't tend to advertise my muggle family and our habits too loudly at school. And it's not like I wanted to rub your face in the type of things I do with my muggle family while yours are so rotten to you."

"You were quiet about them to spare my feelings?" Harry frowned, "You don't have to hide things from me Hermione. I'm not some fragile little flower who'll wilt at the first sign of other people's lives being better than mine."

"I never thought you would, but I didn't want to rub your nose in it, just the same," Hermione shrugged her shoulders.

"Are you going to tell us what the surprise is?" Sirius asked when Harry stayed silent and drew on his smoke again, "What's in the bag?"

"You'll see," Hermione slanted a grin at the dark-haired wizard when he put his cigarette between his lips and reached for the bag as though he might snatch it from her.

"When?" Remus wanted to know, also looking curious.

"If either of you ruin my surprise with your insatiable curiosity," Hermione warned them, tucking the bag behind her back and right up the back of her shirt. She poked the edge into her waistband and pulled her shirt-hem down over the top of it, "I might smack both of you."

"Don't tease, love," Sirius practically purred at her, "It's bad manners."

"So's trying to stick your hands up my shirt, Sirius," Hermione swatted him, making him laugh when she proceeded to flick him on the forehead too, holding him at bay.

"I'm not showing you what else I bought. That's for later. After we've been yelled at," Hermione told him, "So don't ruin it or you'll have nothing to look forward to while Molly rips us all a new one."

"You really are too clever for your own good, Hermione," Remus told her, watching her carefully as he too drew on his smoke.

His eyes slipped closed when he inhaled it deep into his lungs and that purring growl he made sounded again.

"Why do you make that noise when you inhale, Moony?" Harry asked, clearly noticing it too.

"It's his happy noise," Sirius told them, watching Hermione when she reached for his cigarette again, "Makes it when he smokes because he quit years ago, but he still craves it hard."

"It numbs the wolf," Remus said quietly, opening his eyes and breathing out once more, "Makes him more placid and easier to deal with."

"Yeah, for about an hour," Sirius rolled his eyes, "And then your werewolf healing kicks in and forces the toxins right out of your skin like sweat. Molly will know you've been smoking again unless you keep your dark clothes on."

"She'll know anyway," Remus sighed, "We all reek of cigarette now. It's a stronger scent than pipe smoke."

"She'll get over it," Sirius retorted, watching as Hermione held his cigarette to her lips and breathed in once more.

She didn't much like the burn or the health risks, but the effect was nice after the emotional day they'd had. Especially when she knew what they were all going home to as soon as they finished smoking.

"She will not," Remus laughed unexpectedly, "She's going to smell it on the kids too."

"Yeah, but she'll think it was because I was smoking around them. She'd never accuse innocent little Harry and Hermione of deviousness."

"She would," Harry contradicted him, "She often does. Of me, anyway. Me and Ron. Hermione's an angel in her eyes. The voice of reason, we reckon."

"I usually am the voice of reason," Hermione argued.

"No, you're usually the one with the plan of how to do whatever crazy thing we decide needs to be done for the greater good of the school," Harry corrected her, "You're the one who forges documents, steals potion ingredients and brews illegal potions in abandoned bathrooms. You're the one with time-turners to circumvent fate."

"And yet here I am, with everyone thinking I'm the voice of reason," Hermione smirked at Harry's grumbling tone.

"Yeah, well, I didn't say you weren't clever for thinking of them. You use your reputation as a rule-follower and being so clever and such a teacher's pet to keep suspicion off you. You've been doing it since we faced that troll in first year. Me and Ron run off to fight a troll and we'd get hundreds of points taken off for being reckless and stupid. But you pipe up and say it was you doing the rule-breaking and us trying to save you and suddenly everything's fine and we're earning back and then doubling whatever points you lose."

"It's a gift, Harry," Hermione smiled at him wickedly, "The trick is to make everyone think you would never possibly break the rules without a very good reason by sticking to the little rules. Then when you break a big one, people assume you had to have a very good reason for doing it."

"You're tricky," Harry retorted, "Me and Ron would've been expelled years ago, if not for you."

"Possibly," Hermione smiled, knowing she had a gift for getting away with things because she was usually such a model student.

"I can guarantee they're all wrapped around your finger, Hermione," Remus told her, "You were often discussed in the staff room when I was teaching. Should've heard Minnie proudly boasting about your fantastic grades and extensive essays."

"That's embarrassing," Hermione said, staring at the man, "I didn't realise they gossiped to one another about my homework."

"They're teachers, Hermione," Sirius rolled his eyes, "Cooped up in a castle with teenagers. They need something to get excited over of they'd all drop dead of boredom."

Harry and Hermione laughed with him when Remus flipped him the bird again.

"We should probably be getting back," Remus said quietly as he watched Sirius finish his cigarette, "It'll be dark soon and Molly will have dinner on. The whole bloody Order will be there by now, ready to screech at us for being gone all day."

"Do we have to?" Sirius asked, his voice lowering slightly as his shoulders sagged a bit.

Hermione could tell he really didn't want to go back there. Not that she blamed him. Grimmauld Place was depressing.

"We do," Remus nodded, "Come on. They'll shout. They'll tell us we're not allowed out of the house for a while. They'll be grumpy for a bit and we can get drunk and see how long it takes to make Harry vomit."

"Yeah, Molly won't try to kill us for that at all," Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Half the fun is in getting him drunk right under her nose, Pads," Remus reminded him.

Sirius sighed but he did smile a little at Remus's words.

"Fine. But we're blaring the records Hermione got me once they're done yelling."

"I wouldn't want it any other way," Remus smirked too, before offering Harry one of his hands and offering Hermione the other. Sirius took Hermione's free hand and grabbed Harry's unoccupied hand too. Remus had clearly shrunk Harry's trunk and Hedwig's cage and put them in his pocket.

"How will we get him through the Fidelius Charm?" Sirius asked, nodding at Harry.

"I've got a copy of the address written by Dumbledore in my pocket," Remus admitted, "We'll get in."

Hermione closed her eyes and squeezed Sirius's hand once as Remus began to count down, clearly intent apparating them all. Sirius squeezed back tightly and Hermione could practically feel his tension, melancholy and frustration begin filling him once more. With a sharp jerk behind her navel, they disappated with a loud crack.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: This chapter felt a bit too appropriate to hold out all month before giving it to you. So here's a gift for everyone to try and take their minds off things. I hope you enjoy it and I can't wait to see you're reactions to everything in this one =) Thanks ever so much to all of you who take the time to review. Much Love! xx-Kitten.**

* * *

 **Used To Be Mine**

 _By Kittenshift17_

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

* * *

 **2** **nd** **August 1995**

 **Number 12, Grimmauld Place**

As he'd said he would, Sirius used Harry as a shield when they returned to Headquarters. He'd shoved Harry at Mrs Weasley and distracted the woman for several long minutes while everyone else looked on in disapproval. They all greeted Harry warmly, drawing him into affectionate hugs or offering him firm handshakes. It had been effective for all of ten minutes as Harry asked a thousand questions about the Order of the Phoenix and about Headquaters before the real inquisition had started.

All four of them had been hauled into the kitchen and grilled by Alastor Moody with security questions to ensure they were who they claimed to be.

"What were you thinking?" Mrs Weasley raged as Hermione sat quietly in her seat between Harry and Sirius.

Harry had been told he could be excused once they'd decided it was him, but Harry had refused to leave the kitchen. He'd refused to leave his godfather, his best friend and the man who was essentially a second godfather to him all alone to face the wrath of the Order for having snuck out and collected him without permission.

"As if it wasn't bad enough that you endangered yourself and risked getting yourself caught by the Ministry, you endangered Hermione!" Molly shouted at Sirius, "You removed her from this house and took her Merlin only knows where, all day. You endangered Harry! What if you'd been attacked, Sirius? What would you have done if the Death Eaters had showed up?"

"A sight more than would've fucking happened if I'd left him with his Aunt and Uncle, unprotected because 'Dung ran off again," Sirius snarled furiously at the woman.

"We had a plan in place to bring Harry here, Black," Moody growled in his no-nonsense, gravelly tone, "What's the point of protocol and safety measures if you just show up and grab the kid?"

"I shouldn't have been able to get anywhere near that place," Sirius retorted, "But me, 'Mione and Moony walked right up to the front door and knocked, bold as brass. And the Pup's fine, so fuck off, Moody."

Moody drew his wand lightning fast and without thinking about it or even making any conscious decision to move, Hermione found herself standing shoulder to shoulder with Harry, directly in front of Sirius's chair and facing down Moody's wand. They had both stepped forward, diving in front of Sirius with the intention of defending the man from Moody's wrath should the ex-Auror grow irate enough to actually hex Sirius. Hermione slanted a glance at Harry, noticing that like her, he had drawn his wand and was aiming it threateningly at Moody for his attitude and the threat he presented.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Never jump in front of a wand!"

"You kids, get out of there."

"Alastor, lower that wand this instant!"

All around the kitchen, everyone began to bark orders at each, more wands being drawn, this time on Moody for aiming at kids. He lowered his wand quickly though he narrowed his eyes.

"Oi," Sirius said and Hermione felt him jump to his feet behind them, his hand coming to rest on her shoulder and Harry's, trying to move them out of the way and prevent them from defending him, "What are you two doing? Knock it off, yeah? I don't need either of you taking a hex for me."

"Padfoot?" Harry said reasonably, glancing at his godfather over one shoulder, "Shut up, yeah?"

Remus snorted at Harry's flippant words.

"Watch it, Pup," Sirius said, though he laughed at the rudeness, "Now you two get out of here so we can shout some more about what a reckless bastard I am and then about how annoyed they are that all their stupid plans are now no longer needed. We'll call you for dinner when it all blows over."

"No," Harry said.

He didn't elaborate. He didn't argue. He simply ignored the directive and continued to stand in between his godfather and the rest of the Order. Hermione did the same, facing down the number of witches and wizards she ordinarily had great respect for. She couldn't describe why she did so other than that her emotions and her attachment to Sirius had clearly swelled to such a level that she would defend him before all others, except perhaps Harry.

"Harry, I know you mean well, but Sirius put both you and Hermione - not to mention himself - in grave danger today," Molly told him sternly.

"I'm fine, Mrs Weasley," Harry answered back, "Hermione's fine. Sirius is fine and Remus is fine too. This lot won't be if they keep pointing those wands at us, though."

Molly looked gobsmacked by Harry's manner and his certainty that he wouldn't let the rest of them continue chewing Sirius out.

"Harry," Mr Weasley began, trying to reason with Harry.

Before he could go on, the entire kitchen suddenly fell quiet and Hermione turned to see Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape appearing in the doorway.

"Great, just what we fuckin' need," Sirius muttered by her ear, "Snivellus sticking his giant bloody nose in. Come on you two, step aside before this gets ugly."

"No," Hermione spoke this time, eyeing her teachers and her friends coolly.

"'Mi," Sirius muttered, his hand squeezing her shoulder gently. Hermione couldn't describe the little flutter in her chest that she felt every time he shortened her name to 'Mi'. He pronounced it like 'my' as though he were beginning to say 'mine'. Harry often shortened her full name to 'Mione' but Hermione rather preferred when Sirius simply called her 'Mi'.

"Shush, Sirius," Hermione shushed the wizard even as he pushed her and Harry to either side before stepping up between them both and facing down the irate looking Headmaster.

"Will one of you be kind enough to explain how today's events unfolded?" Professor Dumbledore asked calmly, striding a little further into the room.

"Isn't it obvious?" Sirius snarked in return, clearly not afraid to give the man lip, "Left the house. Grabbed Harry. Spent the day avoiding this fucking hellhole."

"Sirius!"

"Language!"

Molly and Professor McGonagall both snapped at him.

"And what pray tell, inspired this excursion?" Professor Dumbledore wanted to know, "Perhaps you could explain why you saw to endanger Miss Granger along with your own safety and continued freedom, Sirius?"

"Oh, enough," Hermione snapped before Sirius could open his mouth and say a word, "Enough blaming him. He didn't endanger me. He didn't sneak me out of the house, and I'm just bloody fine. For your information, I busted him out of this depressing, dilapidated crap-hole before he could go 'round the twist and if you could all kindly stop acting as though the world is ending over it, that would be ideal. If and when the time ever arises that I find myself in danger, I can assure you it is usually a foreseen danger, a calculated risk I have chosen to make and something I tend to handle just fine."

"Oh you think it's a foreseen danger and calculated risk to be snatched up by Death Eaters, carted off and tortured or killed, do you, girly?" Moody snarled, the first to recover from the fact that Hermione had just spoke out of turn, rather rudely, to a number of adults.

"Honestly, Moody," Hermione retorted, slanting a glare in his direction, "I hardly think that Death Eaters are prowling the streets and London suburbs at midmorning on a random Tuesday during the summer. And frankly, if they really have so little to do with their time and in their service of You-Know-Who then I should say I'll rather begrudgingly accept such a fate if they actually manage to run across me amid the millions and millions of muggles in London."

Moody narrowed her eyes on her.

"It was your idea to leave the house this morning, Hermione?" Molly asked, looking rather scandalised.

"Of course it was," Hermione admitted, elbowing Sirius in the ribs when he opened his mouth like he might say something to the contrary, "This place is depressing and if any of the rest of you had been locked up in here and going bonkers for long enough that you began to doubt your sanity, I'd do the same thing all over again. More to the point, it was my idea to call on Harry today to better make the day fun and happy. That _your_ security system in place to protect him did nothing to stop three people marching up to his front door and into the Dursley's house is a rather egregious failing on the Order's part. I'd suggest rectifying it, but seeing as Harry is no longer there, perhaps we can all focus our efforts on other matters of importance, like tracking down the Death Eaters, rounding them up and locking them away?"

The snark continued to drip out of her mouth in a manner that was most unbecoming a young lady and not at all respectful to her elders. Something most of them looked utterly shocked to be hearing. Hermione rolled her eyes to herself over their surprised expressions and their concern that such a well-mannered, rule-following teenager would be so disrespectful and rude to them.

"Maybe we could focus on overturning the bollocks at the Ministry where they continue to deny You-Know-Who has returned and thus are doing nothing to hunt down the actual criminals but instead continue to hunt for an innocent man? Maybe it might even be wise to, oh, I don't know, _alert the wizarding world to the real danger_ instead of standing around a dusty kitchen in a fallen down house and using guerrilla tactics to fight a war, shouting at a pair of kids who've faced more Dark magic than a number of the actual inducted Order members; and two wizards more capable than most of evading capture and incarceration than anyone else I know? At least anyone not a current Order member given how _some_ of us are being confined to the bloody house for no apparent reason."

"No reason?" Snape sneered, "Forgotten so quickly that Black's a wanted man, Miss Granger?"

"Don't you fucking talk to her, Snivellus," Sirius snarled furiously and Hermione watched the tension escalate immediately when Snape drew his wand on Sirius and Sirius aimed his own at the Potions Professor.

"On the contrary, Professor Snape," Hermione ground out, blue sparks of fury dancing through her curls as she spoke, "I'd think that was the point. The Ministry - in its obvious clusterfuckery - still believes that Sirius is a wanted murderer. If they can catch him, they will throw him back in prison or give him over to the Dementors - something we all know you're practically salivating to see happen - despite his innocence. Someone _please_ explain to me why we're standing around this ridiculous hovel, arguing over the fact that an innocent man left the house and collected his godson today? Why the fuck is he still wanted by the Ministry? Professor Dumbledore, until recently you were Senior Mugwump on the Wizengamot. Professor McGonagall, you are also a member. Hell, the head of the department overseeing Sirius's re-capture knows he's right here and innocent and yet he's still a wanted man? You are people with power. People with authority in our world. What? You can't demand a re-trial for him? You can't offer them evidence in the form of Pettigrew's merlin cursed _confession_ to make them see reason and revoke the charge he was convicted over? I would be more than willing to provide them my memory of that evening for their assessment."

"Me too," Harry growled.

"And yet he continues to be hunted by the Ministry. They continue to crow about how we're all liars and Harry's defective in the head. What the hell is wrong with these people?" Hermione snapped, her fury having reached a height she didn't even know she was capable of. Magic crackled and sparked through her hair and danced over her skin almost like it were a living thing, ready to strike out to deadly effect, "The Ministry of Magic is the governing body that oversees the entire wizarding world within Britain. It is their _duty_ to investigate danger, warn the public of said danger, and otherwise act like they have a fucking brain!"

Hermione wondered if she was foaming at the mouth like a rabid dog in her fury. She'd never been so angry in all her life. It had been building all summer. Her frustration with the Ministry's denial of the truth. With their disparagement of Harry and Dumbledore.

"They are the people elected to oversee the entire magical community and they can't even look into the idea that the most dangerous dark wizard of all time is once again at large and gathering an army? How is that possible?" Hermione demanded, "If that happened in the muggle world, the representative would be shamed out of office for his lack of investigation! Honestly, from what I've learned since entering the magical world, it's a wonder we even have a criminal justice system at all, especially given how ineffective and absolutely useless they are. They convict people even when there is reasonable doubt of their guilt. They free people who had ample proof of _their_ guilt. And people with the positions and power to do anything about it all have… what?"

She slanted a glare at Dumbledore.

"Stepped down from the position because a bullshit media rag claims we're all liars and troublemakers? Done nothing to secure the freedom of a man you know to be innocent? You have my memories, Harry's, Ron's, and Remus's to prove Pettigrew is alive and confessed to being behind James and Lily's deaths. You have Harry's memories of the night in the graveyard when You-Know-Who returned. I know you've said the word of teenagers means little in our world, but no memory can be tampered with so effectively as to create what we offer. How are any of us expected to fight a fucking war against a megalomaniac when the people in charge of the population at large and the people able to do things about it are all bowing out of those positions, burying their heads in the fucking sand or rallying a rag-tag team of friends and allies who can't even protect a teenage boy from his abusive Aunt and Uncle, let alone the Dark Lord's army!"

Hermione could feel her chest heaving and dimly she was aware that a number of things within the kitchen had begun levitating as her ire rose.

"You, all of you in this very room right now have connections, reputations and power within the wizarding world. You are all able to throw your not-inconsiderable power behind a movement against You-Know-Who. Why are we snapping at each other over stupid and inconsequential crap? Because the Ministry are a bunch of terrified, bleating lambs too afraid to admit the truth because they're scared of the fallout that is coming whether they prepare for it or not? Because they control the media, and thus the population and have denied the truth?"

Hermione shook her head, vibrating now with her impassioned fury.

"The way I see it, the Ministry control the prophet and thus control public opinion. They are the head on a snake gone rabid and poisoning themselves. And they need to be cut off before they do even more irreparable damage than they have already done!" Hermione narrowed her eyes on Professor Dumbledore finding his calm, yet watchful demeanour all the more irritating, "When something goes bad, you dispose of it. When a dog goes rabid, you shoot it. And when a government organisation fails, you overthrow them!"

Hermione stamped her foot for emphasis and even the table and chairs began levitating off the ground as her magic swirled so ferociously within her.

"Do you know what you don't do?" she challenged, "You don't step down from a position of influence and power. You don't let the likes of lying bitches like Rita Skeeter and the other reporters calls you senile, or a liar, or a brain-damaged little boy with a wild imagination. You don't let them circulate suspicion and fear that it's some grab for power. You don't allow incompetent arses too afraid of accepting the truth and thus preparing for it, to remain in control. Does the captain of a ship deserve the right to remain at the helm when he fears the waves? Does the leader of the pack remain leader if he lays down and shows his underbelly? Does the lion keep his pride by allowing challengers to destroy them?"

Hermione shook her head.

"No. You fight back. You seize the fear and you stuff it down somewhere deep. You lock it away where it can't be used against you. When the public speculate that you're making trouble in a bid for power, you use that advantage and you take that power. More than half the wizarding world called for you to take over as Minister for Magic, Professor. And you refused. I don't presume to know why, though having read all I have about the wizarding world and its history, I could take an educated guess. Tell me, why are we here?" Hermione demanded.

"You created the Order of the Phoenix as a rebel group to fight against You-Know-Who's forces. Why can you lead _us_ , but not the rest of the wizarding world? Why do we ignore the fact that _he's_ already getting his claws into the government, while we refuse to do the same? Why do we allow the general population to even consider the notion that Harry's making it all up or whatever other tripe the papers are feeding them this week? Because we fear nationwide panic? Because people should remain unwarned and ill-prepared for the fight that is coming? Fear makes people stupid. Yes, they could panic and yes, it could make the wizarding world as we know it collapse. But if it does… so what? Isn't it better to have people stop going to work for fear of You-Know-Who, than to have them there in harm's way to be used like pawns and sacrificed just as easily? Isn't it better to have them know the truth and pick a bloody side so we can get on with fighting _before_ You-Know-Who can amass an army large enough to destroy us all?"

Professor Dumbledore opened his mouth slowly when Hermione stood panting, finally out of things to say that she hadn't already said. He seemed to be waiting to see if she would go on. When he decided she wasn't going to speak again, he looked like he meant to say something.

He wasn't the only one, though most of the other people in the room looked angered by her words, alarmed by her tirade and her magical instability, or just downright shocked into speechlessness. Hermione was still panting when Harry suddenly stepped around Sirius, grabbed her jaw in both hands, leaned down and kissed her smack on the lips.

He got jolted and zapped by her magic as though she were a live-wire he'd just grabbed for his trouble. His whole body shuddered violently. His hair stood on end, and he was forced several steps back from her, looking like he'd received an electric shock. He also looked like he was proud of her speech and agreed with what she'd said.

"You just articulated everything I've been thinking all summer," Harry informed her, not at all seeming to care that he'd been blasted back from her or that he'd just kissed her in front of the Order, their teachers, Mr and Mrs Weasley and all of the Weasley children too.

Hermione was too busy being shocked over the fact that her best friend had just kissed her to heed the fact that the shock shoved her anger right out of the way. Everything that had been levitating suddenly dropped with a huge crash; plates shattering; goblets clattering; the table and chair juddering and skidding across the floor. Pots and pans clanged and the stove gave a bang and more than one Order member gave a shout of surprise at the noise and the mess she created.

"Bloody hell, 'Mi," Sirius chuckled, looking as though he too agreed with her words and like he was impressed by her show of power. He took hold of her wrist carefully and his own hair began to fluff up and stand on end but he hung onto her while her magic continued to crackle, "Let's ah… get you upstairs and give you a chance to calm down, shall we?"

No one seemed to object to the idea, despite her tirade, her bad manners and her downright rudeness. Indeed they all looked shocked now by what she'd down to the kitchen.

Hermione looked slowly towards Sirius, feeling slightly sapped and tired in the wake of her rant. She'd been thinking and feeling such things for weeks. Since the summer had begun and the first copies of the prophet had arrived calling Harry a liar, Hermione had grown angrier. To have it all come pouring out was rather draining.

He tugged on her arm, clearly intending to escort her upstairs.

"Come on, Pup," he said to Harry quietly, tugging on Harry's arm to get him to follow them as well.

Everyone was there by then. Outside the kitchen in the hallway, the twins, Ron, and Ginny were all looking rather gobsmacked, but Hermione noticed they also looked like they thought she'd made some good points. She didn't say anything to any of them as she climbed the stairs with Sirius still tugging on her wrist gently. He led her past her own bedroom and right up to the top floor of the house where he walked into a large sitting room Hermione hadn't realised was there or that it had been cleaned.

Harry followed after them, and the Weasley children all traipsed in after her. Sirius pulled her over and pushed her down into one of the armchairs gently before he squatted on the floor at her feet and carded his fingers through her still crackling curls.

"You're a little scary sometimes, you know that?" Ron muttered as he sat in an armchair with Ginny and Harry while Fred and George perched on the end of it, "Brilliant. But scary."

"You alright, Hermione?" Fred asked of her when she still didn't say anything. Sirius didn't say anything either, though he was grinning at her like she'd hung the moon.

"I…" Hermione blinked, "I suppose that was… a little out of line."

George snorted.

"They bloody had it coming," Fred insisted, "Gits. Keeping us out of the Order. Shouting over bullshit. Keeping you locked up, Padfoot. You made a lot of good points down there, Hermione. I've wondered some of the same things a hundred times since we were all hauled into this crap-hole. Also, Hermione, remind me to buy you a bouquet of flowers when I get a chance. You've got the prettiest language I've ever heard a girl use whilst in the presence of my mother, McGonagall, Snape and the headmaster."

"Girl's got some serious bollocks, Gred," George agreed, "Deserves some pretty flowers to go with that pretty language."

"Oh gods, I…" Hermione paled, her eyes still fixed on Sirius's grey pair, "I swore at them all… at the headmaster…"

"Put Snivellus right in his place too, Kitten," Sirius grinned at her widely, "That was bloody brilliant!"

"I just…" Hermione shook her head slowly, deflating slightly the longer she sat and realised what she'd just done.

"Articulated my thoughts?" Harry offered when Hermione didn't rightly know what to say, "Put things into perspective? Pointed out the obvious?"

Hermione felt a prickle of amusement at Harry's sarcastic tone as he offered her options for an explanation.

"Don't apologise, Hermione," he went on, "That was fantastic. Now, someone tell me just where the hell this place is and why it looks like it's actually a hovel?"

The Weasley children all looked rather alarmed by Harry's swearing and his attitude.

"Number 12 Grimmauld Place, London," Sirius said, shooting a grin at Harry, "Headquarters to the Order of the Phoenix, formerly known as the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. This is my parent's place. Or was, before the kicked off. It's mine now, so I offered it to Dumbledore as HQ for the Order. It's about the only useful thing I've been able to do for them, until today."

"You grew up here?" Harry asked.

Sirius nodded.

"Well shit,"' Harry swore again, his language clearly having gone to the dogs over the summer with his muggle friends, "I'm sorry for you Pads."

Sirius barked with laughter as everyone else looked shocked by Harry's words. Remus appeared in the doorway, also laughing when Sirius continued to roar with amusement over Harry's words. Harry was too busy looking around the house with distaste as he eyed the peeling paintwork, the dusty surfaces and the antiquated furniture.

"This, from a boy who spent ten years of his life sleeping in a spider-infested cupboard?" Sirius shook his, "Well, at least you can still tell the difference between good and bad taste."

"At least there's that," Harry agreed, looking amused.

"Sirius! You shouldn't joke about that," Ginny protested, looking alarmed by the flippant and insensitive comments they traded.

"It's fine, Ginny," Harry said, also laughing, "And you lot are all right gits for not writing to me about this. How long have you been here anyway?"

"Almost a month for us," Ron shrugged his shoulders, "Hermione's been here a couple of weeks. Sirius…"

"Feels like forever," Sirius grumbled.

"Are you alright, Hermione?" Remus asked, shuffling over to them where Hermione was still feeling rather shell-shocked about her outburst.

"Erm…" Hermione said, trying to collect her thoughts, "I um…"

"Did you drain your magic down there?" Remus asked, moving over and crouching on the floor next to Sirius, shuffling the animagus slightly to one side.

Hermione noticed as he did it that Remus put one hand on Sirius's knee and his claws were loose, pricking at the fabric of Sirius's jeans. Sirius didn't seem to mind the pain as they dug into him and he seemed to grow more grounded at the touch, one of his hands smoothing down the length of Remus's forearm and gripping the top of Remus's hand lightly.

"No," Hermione shook her head, "I feel fine in that regard just… um… a bit concerned about my outburst. Is everyone terribly angry with me?"

"Moody's still got his wand in a knot about your attitude and is claiming Sirius must be a bad influence on you and Harry if you're giving out so much cheek and sass," Remus chuckled, "And Snape's cranky about being disrespected by a student, but really, when isn't Severus cranky about something? Dumbledore seemed rather put out as well, a bit off balance, really. No one's really jumped down his throat like that in a long time, I imagine. We all tend to assume he knows what he's doing and trust him to be doing the right thing, but you had some good points. Sirius's name should have been cleared a long time ago. I'd have done it myself, but being a werewolf, I don't have much pull in the wizarding world."

Hermione nodded slowly.

"Am I in trouble?" Hermione asked the man fearfully.

"No," Remus smiled gently, "No one will be angry with you for expressing yourself, Hermione. They're still upset with all of us for leaving the house and getting Harry before it was supposed to happen, but there's little for it now."

"What about the mess?" Hermione asked, "Was it terrible? Is everything destroyed?"

"Dinner's a bit of a mess, I'm afraid," Remus admitted, "Molly was making stew and it went everywhere when you accidentally levitated the stove and all the pans… but no one is angry with you about it, Hermione. Tonks said she'd go out for pizza. She should be back shortly."

"Can we eat up here?" Harry asked from the couch, "I don't want to go back down there and deal with the angry looks or another lecture."

Sirius snorted in amusement at Harry's words.

"Course we can, Pup," Sirius told him, "Remus will brave the fray downstairs to bring us up some pizzas and we'll pig out up here. Ron, you want to play a round of chess while we wait?"

Hermione nibbled her lip as everyone decided it would be best to act natural and go along with the idea. For the rest of the evening, Hermione watched Sirius play Ron at chess, ate pizza with her friends and curled into Harry's side on the couch when he played Sirius after Ron lost his chess match – the first he'd lost in a long time. She could tell Ginny was a bit put out with her over the fact that Hermione had snuck out with Sirius and Remus. And over the fact that Harry had kissed her.

Despite potentially dating someone else, Ginny clearly still had feelings for Harry and was shocked by the idea that he'd kissed Hermione so casually. Not that there had been anything romantic about it as far as Hermione could see.

Everyone rotated through the shower, especially when Ron complained that she and Harry both smelled of smoke. It wasn't until she was returning to her room after her own shower that Hermione recalled the presents she'd bought for Sirius, Remus and Harry. She spotted the bag she'd hidden in her trunk as she was digging in it for some pyjamas and Hermione smiled to herself slowly as she dug out the Beatles shirt she'd bought for herself.

Ginny was currently showering, so when Hermione had pulled on her blue flannel pyjama bottoms with her band shirt, she fished the other three shirts from her bag before tucking the remaining records away in the bottom to await Sirius's November birthday. She smiled as she carried the other three shirts up the many stairs towards the top of the house. As she drew closer to the top, Hermione could hear the sound of music playing softly and she smiled when she heard some of The Clash's music playing over the record player she knew Sirius kept in his bedroom.

She found Remus, Sirius and Harry all sitting around in Sirius's room, seeming to have moved down from the very top floor as everyone grabbed showers and started making tracks for bed.

"In here, 'Mi," Sirius called as though he'd heard her coming before she'd even hit the landing. Hermione figured it was either his canine hearing thanks to animagi or that he'd caught her scent for the same reason.

"Partying without me?" Hermione asked when she found the three wizards lounging around on Sirius's big queen bed.

Sirius seemed to have dug out some old photos he had of Harry's parents.

"Thought you'd gone to bed, Kitten?" Sirius said rather than answering her when Hermione strolled over to the bed and climbed up on it next to the three of them though she hadn't been invited.

"I was going to," Hermione told him, "But then I remembered I'd forgotten to give all of you your surprises."

"Whatcha got?" Sirius said immediately, his eyes lighting up at the idea of being surprised with something, "And is that a Beatles shirt?"

"It is," Hermione said, glancing down at her chest, "These are for you three."

Hermione handed Sirius the shirt, Harry the Cheap Trick shirt, and Remus the Credence Clearwater Revival shirt.

"Bad Moon Rising?" Remus chuckled when he caught it and held it up in front of himself, "Nice touch, Hermione."

"I'm nothing if not subtle," Hermione replied, smirking at him.

"How'd you know I like ?" Sirius wanted to knowing, grinning when he saw his own shirt. He'd clearly showered while she'd been fussing with her hair and was lounging around in a pair of pyjamas himself.

Hermione watched in amusement and a little lust when he ripped his pyjama shirt off over his head, revealing his bare torso to their gazes, intent on putting the new shirt on.

"It was in your collection and of the three shirts, I figured you'd be the most likely to celebrate a song called "Let's Get It On"," Hermione chuckled at him, noting idly that he had a few tattoos, including one of a wolf, a stag and a lily adorning his chest. He also had a red scar on the top of his right shoulder where it looked like he'd been bitten repeatedly by a wolf.

She'd bet she could guess which wolf it was too. Remus eyed the mark causally, seeming to notice Hermione noticing the mark – which looked like it had been bitten again recently – but he didn't say anything about it. Sirius was too busy laughing at her words to notice that she was watching him while he pulled the new shirt on over his head.

"This is the one I was playing with in the store," Harry grinned at her, holding his own up in front of him.

"I thought souvenirs for today might be fun," Hermione admitted with a shrug, "Put them on."

She nudged Remus with her bare foot and prodded Harry's side.

"I…" Remus began, before looking down and Hermione remember that he most likely was covered in scars from the many years spent attacking himself whilst locked away every full moon.

"Just do it, Moony," Sirius told him, "I hardly think the Pup or 'Mione are going to feel uncomfortable because you've got a few scars."

"A few?" Remus challenged.

"I _will_ strip you if you don't do it yourself," Sirius threatened while Harry pulled his own shirt off over his head, clearly not concerned to have Hermione, Sirius or Remus see him shirtless.

"How did you get this?" Hermione asked of Harry, stopping him mid-way through pulling his new shirt on when she spotted a painful looking black bruise on his ribs.

"Dudley," Harry shrugged, glancing at it and not looking very concerned, "He's a wimp, really, but he can hit pretty hard."

"I'm so glad we got you out of there," Hermione sighed, shaking her head and reclining against Sirius's pillows, leaning into Harry's unbruised side.

"Me too," Harry replied, slinging his arm around her causally, "Um… about that… can we er… maybe not mention to anyone else what Aunt Petunia told us about Mum?"

"Probably for the best Pup," Sirius agreed quietly, reaching over and ruffling his hair, "Moony if you don't get that shirt on, I'm going to maim you."

Hermione glanced over at Remus for a long moment watching the way he still clutched the shirt she'd given him, looking torn between wanting to put it on and not wanting them to see his scars.

"Go on, Moony," Harry nudged the werewolf with his foot too, "It can't be worse than a stupid bloody lightning bolt on your forehead."

"It really can," Remus disagreed but he reached over his head and pulled his shirt off one handed.

He was right. It was worse than a lightning bolt. He had a number of old and faded scars littering what little of his torso Hermione could see. Claws marks and tear marks where he'd obviously scratched and bitten himself. But they weren't wretchedly ugly or unappealing. They were simply a part of him.

"Told you they couldn't be worse," Harry shrugged his shoulders, unaffected by the sight of Moony's scars and Hermione caught the flash of the wolf in Remus's eyes at the easy acceptance Harry offered him.

"You don't get enough to eat, Remus," Hermione told him, eyeing him much more critically and noting that his ribs stuck out in a way that was almost painful for her to look at.

"That's all you have to say?" Remus asked, "The both of you? No recoiling in horror? No demands to know how I got each one?"

"We know how you got each one," Hermione reminded him, "You did it to yourself under the full moon. They'd have hurt, and I'm sorry you had to suffer them and the loneliness that drove you to cause them. But they aren't horrific, Remus. They're just scars. And it's not as though we love you for your appearance anyway."

"Yeah, you berk," Sirius chuckled, "You're more to us than a pretty face, you know?"

Hermione caught the way the full lupine colour flooded Remus's gaze as he gazed at her for a long minute in silence before he looked over at Sirius with an expression Hermione couldn't read. His claws were out again and he dragged them lightly over Sirius's pyjama clad knee.

"Yeah, I know mate," Sirius murmured quietly as though the touch had communicated something she and Harry weren't privy to.

"Ron's going to be stroppy when he sees our shirts," Harry told her, tugging on one of her curls and not seeming to notice the interaction between Sirius and Remus, "He was already a bit put out when he went to shower because you didn't grab him when you two snuck out this morning."

"He'll get over it," Hermione sighed, "Ginny's stroppy too because you kissed me."

"What's she care who I kiss?" Harry asked, "She's got a boyfriend, doesn't she?"

"Oh Harry," Hermione chuckled, "Don't tell me you're _still_ that oblivious? She's been in love with you since she met you in our first year on the platform."

Harry looked surprised for a full minute while Remus and Sirius both began to laugh at his expression.

"She's got a funny way of showing it," Harry said finally, "Barely talks to me."

"Yeah well, she trips over her tongue when she tries and acts like a right little idiot because you make her so nervous," Hermione sighed, feeling a little like she was betraying Ginny's trust but feeling the need to finally have Harry catch on that the witch was crazy about him.

Harry looked surprised again while Remus pulled his new shirt on.

"Nice choice with that one, 'Mi," Sirius commented, nodding at Remus's shirt when he pulled it into place.

"It made me giggle," Hermione admitted, "Sorry Remus."

"It's funny," Remus shrugged, grinning at her before pulling some more chocolate out of his pocket. He offered each of them a square of it before eating some for himself, "Accurate too. Next full moon's a blood moon. It's going to suck."

"A blood moon?" Harry asked.

"It's when there are four total lunar eclipses in a row," Hermione told him, "They're called that because the moon appears blood red in the sky during the total eclipse, but they have a nasty effect on lycanthropy. Blood moons make the transformation ten times more painful and make the werewolf much more aggressive because the moon is totally eclipsing the sun. It blocks out the sun as though there is only the moon. And since the moon is the trigger for the change, it makes the curse much harder to endure."

"You really do know everything, don't you?" Harry asked, turning to grin at her as she rattled off facts.

"It's a bad habit stemmed from too much time spent reading by myself as a child," Hermione admitted unrepentantly, not at all offended by the accusation, "That and the fact that I arrived at Hogwarts eleven years behind on knowledge of the wizarding world."

"So did I, but you don't see me memorising every fact in the world," Harry pointed out.

"Why bother when I already do it and can give you the answer, right?" Hermione smirked at him.

"Well, yeah pretty much," Harry laughed, "But how bad will it be, Moony? Is there anything we can do?"

Remus smiled at him sadly for the offer and Hermione already knew the answer before he gave it.

"No. If you're anywhere near me when I change, I'll likely rip your throats out. Snape is brewing me Wolfsbane on Dumbledore's orders like he was when I was teaching, but it loses most of its potency during a blood moon. The only thing you can really do is force feed me enough chocolate to kill me when I transform back after the full moon," Remus sighed, flopping backwards across the bed until he was lying diagonally with his feet hanging off the end and his head almost hanging off one side.

It would be, if not for Sirius tunnelling his hands casually into Remus's sandy hair.

"Done," Harry grinned, "Might have to get someone to go shopping, since I don't see the four of us being allowed out of the house, but I can make enough chocolate sweets to give you poisoning."

"You bake?" Sirius asked, quirking an eyebrow at Harry in surprise.

Harry rolled his eyes, his fingers tugging on Hermione's curls again gently as though his hands were itching to hold another cigarette.

"Of course I bake. I can cook just about anything," Harry retorted, "The Durselys delighted in making me cook for them when I was a kid – meant they could punish me all the more if I messed up and Aunt Petunia discovered I didn't lose control of my magic as often if I had something to focus on. When I'm there, unless I'm the one doing the cooking, I usually don't get fed."

"They starve you?" Sirius asked, sitting up slowly, his eyes flashing dangerously.

"It's fine, the Weasley's and Hermione send me food and I hide it in my room under the floorboards," Harry waved Sirius's concern away as though it didn't matter.

"I'm going to kill that fucker," Sirius promised quietly, "You see if I don't."

"Easy Pads," Remus murmured and Hermione watched the way the werewolf shuffled up the bed until he put his head in Sirius's lap, forcing the irate animagus to stay seated, "The Pup's fine and if we have anything to say about it, he won't be going back to the muggles ever again."

"He's bloody got to with the fucking blood ward." Sirius pointed out, still growling.

"Blood wards mean fuck all now that You-Know-Who has the same blood running through him," Remus argued, "The ritual to bring him back used Harry's blood. The blood wards won't actually have much effect anymore. I told Dumbledore that at the start of the summer, but he wouldn't listen to me. I reckon he just didn't want you and me raising the kid and influencing him any more than we already do."

"I didn't have to go back there?" Harry asked, looking annoyed now.

"Not this summer, but Dumbledore wouldn't hear a word against the idea. Threatened to kick me out of the Order if I didn't shut up about the blood wards in the first place since not many people know that's the reason you're sent back there."

"If no one knows, how do you know about it?" Hermione asked, intrigued.

"Werewolf," Remus said, shooting her a wink, "I can smell that kind of magic. With the eyes of the wolf, I can see some forms of magic too. The link that protected you and the Dursleys through Lily's sacrifice was broken the minute Wormtail cut your arm open and collected your blood, Harry."

"Then why the fuck did I have to go back there?" Harry demanded, "Dumbledore's meant to be a fucking good-guy! Why send me somewhere to be abused, beaten, starved, insulted and generally unwanted when it serves no purpose?"

"Because he pompous fucking arse who thinks he knows what's best for everyone and trusts that we should all just follow along with his orders and his rules like obedient little sheep," Sirius retorted, "I'm getting fucking sick of this shit, Moony. The Pup should've been with us all summer where we could keep him safe."

"I know, Pads," Remus sighed, closing his eyes as though reach for patience. Something he obviously needed when Hermione realised he was also growling.

"This is bullshit! Is he still here?" Harry asked, "I might just find him and give him a piece of my mind like you did, Hermione."

"He left hours ago," Remus told them, "Most of the Order did. It's just us and the Weasley's still here at the moment."

"They all in bed?" Sirius asked.

"Sounds like Ginny's still in the shower," Remus said, cocking his head towards the door as though his superior hearing could pick up the sounds, "Fred and George are still up, working on more of their products in their room. Ron's snoring."

"Arthur and Molly?" Sirius asked, looking amused suddenly.

"Need a better silencing charm on their door if they want to keep doing what they're doing with a werewolf in the house," Remus replied.

Sirius began to laugh and Hermione felt her cheeks bloom red, realising he meant that Mr and Mrs Weasley must be being intimate with one another.

"Arthur loves it when Molly gets all riled up," Sirius chuckled, seeing Hermione's embarrassment and Harry's confusion, "Always gets his blood up when the witch starts shouting. It's why he never disciplines the kids. He prefers it when they run wild and drive her crazy."

"Are they….?" Harry asked, his eyes widening in sudden understanding and alarm.

"What?" Sirius laughed spotting Harry's horror, "You thought they'd stop shagging just because they have adult-age children?"

Harry's moth hung open when Remus opened his eyes and also began to laugh at Harry's expense.

"Oh come on, Pup," Remus chuckled, "They've got _seven_ children. Did you think that was planned? Arthur's rubbish at Contraceptive charms. Always has been. It's how they ended up with the twins. They meant to stop at three, but when the twins came along, Molly gave up and decided she was going to keep going until they had a girl."

"Oh my… Bloody hell," Harry said, "And they're… right now?"

Even Hermione began to giggle at his expression of revulsion, shock and alarm as though Molly and Arthur were his own parents and he'd just walked in on them. His cheeks were scarlet with embarrassment over the news.

"Oh Harry," Hermione giggled.

"How are you laughing about this? They're… I mean… imagine if Ron knew… Blimey."

Sirius roared with laughter at Harry's words, entirely too amused by the way Harry was reacting. Remus was chuckling as though this were the best joke he'd ever been told and Hermione chortled with utter glee. The idea that Mr and Mrs Weasley were going at it like bunnies was both alarming and yet rather… endearing in her opinion.

"I think it's nice," Hermione said, "At least they're not… you know, awkward, uncomfortable or… um… well, it's nice that they still love each other and find one another attractive to… despite having so many children."

"You don't stop shagging just because you have kids, Pup," Sirius ruffled Harry's hair, "It just gets harder to get away with. You learn to get better at quickies."

"How would you know?" Harry asked, his brow furrowing at Sirius.

"What? You think you're not my kid?" Sirius asked him, raising his eyebrows challengingly, "Might not be genetically responsible for you, Pup, but you're mine."

Harry looked rather touched at the words.

"Who are you shagging then?" Harry asked nosily and Hermione snorted at his words.

Remus and Sirius shared a looked.

"Can't tell you that, Pup," Sirius winked, "A gentleman doesn't kiss and tell."

"Oh, now you're a gentleman?" Harry scoffed and they all laughed.

"Oi, I was raised to be a right little prince in my manners, thank you very much," Sirius protested.

"Yeah, and then you forgot everything you'd been forced to learn in favour of being a bloody git every chance you got," Remus said dryly.

"You'll be a bloody git if you keep sassing me, Remus," Sirius warned, leering at the werewolf who still had his head in Sirius's lap.

Remus growled at him, curling his top lip away from his teeth and Sirius growled right back at him. As she watched them, an idea occurred to Hermione and her eyes widened suddenly.

"Oh, I have the best idea," she announced suddenly.

"If it involves seducing us, I'm all ears, love" Sirius smirked at her.

Hermione rolled her eyes at him.

"Maybe later," she retorted without thinking, "Remus, you said there was nothing we could do to make the moon easier on you?"

Remus glanced at her but nodded slowly, clearly wondering where she was going with the idea.

"And Sirius, you were complaining about not having much to do of use to the Order, right?" Hermione confirmed.

"Well, yeah," Sirius shrugged, though he too frowned a little bit at the blunt way she stated the question.

"Would you like to be?" Hermione asked of the unregistered animagus.

"Depends what you're going to ask me to do," Sirius replied, eyeing her carefully, "I reckon that gleam in your eyes is going to spell trouble."

"As though you've never indulged in a little trouble?" Hermione challenged.

"I'm a responsible adult," Sirius replied sarcastically.

"You're a bloody menace, is what you are," Hermione told him grinning.

"What's the idea, Hermione?" Harry asked, always willing to indulge in trouble.

"Well, I know it won't be of much use by the blood moon next week," she said quietly, "And it might take a little while… But I was thinking it might be a good idea if Sirius taught us Animagi. We could help Moony on full moon nights, and it would be an effective way to keep you hidden, Harry, if there was a need for it and… mmfph!"

Hermione was cut off before she could continue rationalising her sudden urge to master the magical art-form on animagus transformation when Remus suddenly sat up at lycanthropic speed, wrapped a hand around the back of her neck, pulled her forwards and planted a kiss right on her surprised lips.

"Bloody hell," Harry said, sounding shocked and amused at the same time.

"Blimey, Moony," Sirius commented, "Ease off a bit, mate."

Hermione felt Sirius pull on Remus's shoulders to pry him off her. She blinked stupidly for several long moments. He hadn't snogged her or even kissed her in any way that felt inappropriate. Indeed, he'd done the same thing to her that Harry had done, kissing her as though he thought she were brilliant and he simply couldn't resist the urge to express his happiness with the words coming out of her mouth by kissing her lips.

She blushed pink as she stared at Remus – whose eyes were once again the full, lupine gold of the wolf – trying desperately to calm her suddenly racing heartbeat, knowing both he and Sirius could likely hear it. His hand was still wrapped around the back of her neck, pulling her to him and dragging her closer as Sirius pulled him back from her

"Well… screw it," Sirius said, also watching her as she looked slightly dazed and Hermione was ashamed of the little whimper of sound that left her when he leaned around Remus, smoothed his hand along the length of her jaw and copied the werewolf.

He brushed a soft, delectable kiss against her tingling lips, making her sigh contentedly even as her heart stuttered and skipped a beat. Desire tingled in her blood and Hermione's cheeks went crimson when she realised they could probably smell it. The pair of handsome wizards both had heightened hearing and a heightened sense of smell. They could probably detect every effect they were having on her body.

"Um…" Hermione said rather incoherently when Sirius pulled away slowly.

Harry was laughing as though he was rather shocked by their attitude and didn't know what to make of their behaviour as they both kissed her. He also didn't seem to feel he had a right to object when he'd done the same thing a few hours earlier.

"You alright?" Harry asked her when Sirius pried Remus's hand from the back of her neck, having to intertwine his fingers with the werewolf's to keep him from reaching for her again.

Harry slung his arm around her shoulders and pulled her back towards him so she was reclining against the pillows again while Hermione tried to make sense of her suddenly scrambled thoughts.

"Oi, Moony," Sirius, muttered to his best friend and Hermione watched the way he leaned forward slightly until his shoulder was in front of Remus's chest. He pulled at the neckline of his shirt to reveal the bite-mark on his shoulder and nudged Remus to get his attention, cocking his head to the side.

Harry was too busy looking at her to notice the way Remus lunged forwards and sank his sharp teeth into the top of Sirius's shoulder. Sirius didn't even flinch at the pain of the bite or the vicious action, and she suspected that he was used to it. Remus's eyes were still fixed on her, the golden hue of them mesmerizing even as he bit Sirius.

"I'm… um…" Hermione said, trying to find her voice and instead finding herself rather breathless.

"You want us to learn animagi?" Harry went on, clearly amused and trying to change the subject to better help her regain her wits.

"Yes," Hermione said, unable to take her eyes off the way Remus was biting Sirius and feeling the strangest urge to offer her own neck to the werewolf to sink his teeth into, "Erm.. I think it would be helpful in general if we knew how to do it, not to mention we could spend the full moons with Remus so he doesn't have to be so alone. And if they Death Eaters came looking for us, we'd be able to transform and fight back or escape, even if they confiscated out wands. It would be very useful."

"Ron as well?" Harry asked.

"I suppose so," Hermione nodded, "Though I imagine he'll be difficult to teach."

"So will I," Harry rolled his eyes.

"Not necessarily," Hermione shook her head, "Everything I've ever read suggests that being able to tap into the magic that controls your Patronus form to make it corporeal, makes it much easier to become and animagus because it's the same type of magic. It taps into a part of you that usually lays dormant unless you've a need for it or a driving urge to call upon it."

"Meaning I'd be a stag if I managed to become an animagus?" Harry asked her.

"Most likely," Hermione nodded.

"Like my Dad," Harry whispered softly, almost to himself.

Hermione noticed the way the mention of his Dad and the way he whispered seemed to penetrate something with Remus and Sirius. Remus's eyes returned to their soft shade of green. He blinked for a moment before pulling back from Sirius and wiping at the blood on his mouth. Sirius winced ever so slightly at his withdrawal but didn't comment or complain about being bitten. Hermione assumed the interaction had something to do with the closeness of the blood moon and their inner animal forms.

"Can you teach us, Sirius?" Harry asked quietly, lifting his head to look at his godfather, seeming obvious to the way Remus had just bitten the man.

"I can try," Sirius grinned at him, "You sure you want to learn? It's not easy."

Hermione nodded her head without hesitation and Harry did the same.

"Ron as well?" Sirius asked, raising one eyebrow.

"We'll have to ask him. Ginny too, if she wants to learn over the summer."

"You'll have to keep it a secret. McGonagall will have a cow if you lot start learning without getting registered with the Ministry. She'd been harping me for months about being unregistered," Sirius smirked at the pair of them.

"We're pretty good at keeping secrets," Harry grinned.

Sirius chuckled in return, "Guess we're going to need some mandrake leaves then."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I'm so overwhelmed by the amount of love you've all been throwing my way on this fic. You're such sweethearts. Much Love! xx-Kitten**

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 **WARNING: As mentioned in the original warning in the opening chapter, this fic is a Triad story in every sense of the word. If you can't handle Slash content or don't like Wolfstar, you better back the fuck away right now.**

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 **Used To Be Mine**

 _By Kittenshift17_

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 **Chapter 5**

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 **5** **th** **August, 1995**

 **The Forbidden Forest, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

Remus Lupin apparated to edge of the Forbidden Forest, just outside of the wards protecting the school before crossing over them, undetected. He hurried through the forest quickly, allowing the primal instinct within him to take over as he broke into a sprint that was much too fast to ever be considered human. With the blood moon just four nights away, Remus felt very much on edge and he'd needed the excuse to get out of the house and work off some of his frustration.

Nothing was helping. Not with the moon drawing closer. Not with Hermione smelling so sinfully delicious. Remus grit his teeth as he pushed himself harder, trying to fight the memory of having kissed her just three days ago. He hadn't meant to do it, and he could tell that though she'd been flooded with an overwhelming rush of desire, they'd both scared her a little. That she'd been a bit unnerved to be kissed by two wizards almost twenty years her senior. One of whom had been her school-teacher just a bit more than a year ago.

Being stuck there in Grimmauld Place alongside the budding young witch was beyond torturous. Her scent was overwhelming, changed now that she'd lost her virginity from the sweet innocent, cookie smell she'd had, to one he knew so well, yet hadn't scented in almost twenty five years. Like cinnamon, honey and freshly fallen snow it invaded his sensitive nose and set his wolf on edge with longing and desire and overwhelming sadness.

The fast approaching blood moon was riling the wolf within him to even greater heights of violence and arousal, every primal instinct within him roaring to life and bucking for release. Even as he ran, trying to push through the surge of energy and need and ferocious fury, trying to burn it off, to tire the monster within him, Remus craved her. Nothing was helping to assuage the need. He'd caved on Nymphadora's continual advances and fucked the little metamorphmagus until she'd screamed her sweet release and he'd nearly lost all reason and marked the little witch as his mate for all of time.

He still didn't know how he'd managed to refrain, the monster inside his soul driving him to claim the one witch that he'd been fated to find. The one who was meant to be utterly perfect for him. He'd clawed her skin by accident and he fought the urge to bury his teeth in her flesh and mark her as his own. He couldn't do that to her. Not when she was so young and so beautiful and so… not Mimi.

The sound of heavy footfalls pounding along in his wake drew Remus's attention and he pushed himself faster, his nose and his ears and the bond they shared telling him that his companion was Sirius. Dodging trees, snarling to himself, running harder, he knew Padfoot could only keep up in dog form when he ran this hard and truly let the wildness inside of him loose.

Padfoot barked at him, falling into step behind him, his paw thudding against the ground of the forest and making Remus feel less alone. The aggravation he felt, the anger, the burning need for his mate – a witch thirteen years his junior – and the burning need for Hermione – a witch eighteen years his junior who'd once been his student and had no idea what she was to him and Sirius – made him feel violent and he gave a vicious snarl of fury over the way things were playing out.

Sirius caught his ankle in his teeth and Remus growled all the more when the big black dog brought him down, tripping him and sending him falling to the forest floor. The ground rushed up to meet him just in time for Remus to feel Sirius shift to human form, his body colliding with Remus's and rolling in a tangle of limbs. They snarled at each other furiously and Remus rolled the animagus to his back, pinning the black-haired wizard beneath him and baring his fangs.

Sirius returned the gesture, clearly recognising his need to channel his violence into a good scuffle. Something he demonstrated when the bastard slugged him across the face with a closed fist. Returning the sentiment, Remus gave into the beast's urge for violence and blood and a need to rip everything apart. Sirius gave as good as he got, blood running from split lips, ribs cracking from the force of their blows.

"FUCK!" Remus snarled, shaking his head from side to side furiously when Sirius rolled them until he found himself pinned under the animagus. Something his wolf did not at all like.

Sirius snarled at him and Remus flipped him again, claws exploding from his fingertips and digging into Sirius's wrists cruelly, drawing more blood. The urge to dominate overrode the urge simply to violently fight and Sirius recognised the shift immediately. Going still beneath him, Sirius caught his gaze before lifting his chin, exposing his throat and submitting to Remus as Alpha in their broken, fractured pack hierarchy.

The sound somewhere between a growl and a groan left Remus as he buried his face against Sirius's throat, first biting him just hard enough to smart but not to break the skin. Sirius whined low, furthering his submission and Remus huffed in response, his tongue darting out and licking the length of Sirius's neck from clavicle to chin. A groan left the animagus that spurred the lust inside Remus and they both growled when Remus nosed aside the collar of Sirius's now-torn shirt, sinking his fangs into the Pack mark he'd left upon Sirius more than twenty years ago.

"Fuck, Moony," Sirius hissed, arching under him and sparking more of lust as he ground his growing desire against Remus's. Remus growled at him incoherently, too lost to the animal within to form sentences.

"Don't hold back, Moony," Sirius whispered when Remus hesitated, trying to rein himself back in, "It'll just make the full moon worse. Give it to me."

Remus closed his glowing golden eyes at the words, grateful, as ever, to know that his pack were so understanding of his needs, so willing and eager to meet them. He would hate himself tomorrow, or after the moon, but he knew what he needed. Sirius's hands clawed the shirt from Remus's back, ripping it off over his head while Remus shredded the shirt his best friend wore. Skin against skin, Sirius tangled a hand in his sandy hair and pulled him down closer, his lips pressing against Remus's, heedless of the sharp fangs in his mouth and the blood on his tongue.

Remus listened to the growling-purr he emitted as Sirius's tongue swept into his mouth, the familiar taste of him calming the beast only slightly, yet driving him to a different wildness instead. Snogging him back hard, Remus sank into the warm welcome Sirius always offered him.

"I want…" Remus managed to growl when Sirius went for his neck, nipping and licking him, driving him out of his mind with lust.

"I know, Moony," Sirius told him, and Remus loved the man for that. He knew exactly what Remus wanted, in every sense of his wanting. He wanted to fuck him. He wanted to claim Tonks as his mate. He wanted Mimi back and he wanted Hermione so badly his groin ached.

Sirius's hands unbuckled Remus's belt before going for his own, and Remus growled again when the Animagus sank his teeth into the familiar bite mark on Remus's own shoulder. It wasn't a claiming Pack mark like the one marring Sirius's flesh, put there by an Alpha werewolf when the Pack bond between them had been sealed. No, the bite on his own shoulder was simply an expression of love and lust and a scar laying claim to Remus as belonging as much to Sirius and to Mimi and James and Lily as they had all belonged to him.

Remus groaned when Sirius dug his hands into Remus's trousers, gripping his cock surely and stroking it the way the Animagus knew he liked.

"Fuck!" Remus growled again, clawing at Sirius's trousers in return, levering himself off the man and out of his grip enough to drag his teeth over Sirius's tattoo-and-scar covered chest. He licked and nipped at Sirius's abs, smirking at the way Sirius writhed under the attention.

"Bloody hell, Moony," he hissed between his teeth when Remus paused at the groove where his thigh met his torso, sinking his fangs into the wizard the way he'd so yearned to do to Nymphadora.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," Sirius whined, his hands clawing at Remus's shoulder, trying to pull him closer, trying to reach his cock. Remus wasn't having any of that and Sirius let loose a strangled yelp when he closed his lips over his swollen, throbbing cock.

"I fucked her," Remus admitted in a growl between sucking his friend's cock down his throat and laving his cock and bollocks with his tongue.

"Hermione?" Sirius asked, his eyes flying open and his head jerking up.

Remus shook his head, nipping his thigh in punishment for the very idea.

"She's not even legal yet, Pads," Moony growled, his eyes glowing gold in the dark of the forest.

"Dora, then?" Sirius said, relaxing slightly.

Remus knew that just like him, no matter how much they wanted to, they were both too moral about Hermione's age to even consider seducing her. Not that resisting wasn't driving them both spare. When he'd lost it and kissed her surprised lips three nights ago, Sirius had copied him simply to play off the urge as a way of thanking the innocent little witch for her gifts and the day out of the house.

"Mimi was right about her," Remus told him, nipping the opposite thigh before dragging his tongue up the underside of Sirius's cock and sucking the belled end into his mouth once more.

"Ah fuck, Moony," Sirius groaned, his hips arching up off the forest floor and sending him deeper, "Dora's your Mate then?"

Remus hummed the affirmative, hollowing his cheeks and sucking hard until Sirius let loose a string of expletives again.

"Fuck. Shit. What are you…? Did you claim her?" Sirius asked, lifting his head to peer at him. His grey eyes were dark with lust and half-lidded against the pleasure Remus was bringing him.

"Fuck, no!" Remus growled, "Think I'd be here with you if I had?"

Sirius chuckled cockily then.

"You know you would," Sirius smirked at him, "She might be your soulmate, but I'm your heart. Me and _her._ "

Remus didn't deny the truth. He'd been in love with Mimi and with Sirius since he'd been a dumb pup. Soulmates and fated to Nymphadora Tonks or not, there was no way that little metamorphmagus would ever replace Sirius and Mimi – Hermione – in his heart or his bed. She might claim it occasionally, if he could keep from marking the little witch again and if she could get by the idea that Remus was fucking her cousin.

"Not going to ruin her life by claiming her," Remus growled, bending Sirius's knee and throwing his leg over his shoulder.

"The only way you'll ruin her life, you fucking git," Sirius growled, hissing between his teeth when Remus licked him from arsehole to cock-tip before driving two fingers into the tight rear entrance, "Is if you string her along and don't claim her. She's as effected – fuck, right there – by the bond as you are, Moony."

Remus ignored his words as he built to a rhythm fingering his arse and sucking his cock. Sirius's hands were tight in his sandy hair, his hips jerking as Remus pushed him towards coming. He needed the make sure the Animagus was ready, because when he fucked him, he wasn't going to be able to hold back the wolf any longer. Sirius knew it too and Remus felt the Pack bond between them strengthening even more when Sirius met his gaze, his expression hungry and ready for whatever Remus would give him.

"She's too young," Remus told him tonguing him again and listening to the way Sirius's breath sawed in and out, the way his heart hammered inside his chest, the way he whined in his throat when Remus worked a third finger into his tight arse.

"She's twenty-one," Sirius argued in a huff before moaning as Remus swallowed his cock and pushed him over the edge. Sirius came with a shout and Remus swallowed the essence of his last remaining Pack member greedily.

"She might as well be a kid," Remus argued, withdrawing his fingers from inside Sirius and attempting to flip the Animagus to his front, "By the time she was born, I'd lost my fucking virginity."

Sirius resisted being flipped, sitting up instead and shoving at Remus until he was kneeling. Remus closed his eyes when the man tongued his left nipple before trailing his nose and his tongue over the flesh of his abs hotly, breathing him in. The animagus's canine eyes stared up at him and Remus knew every inflection of meaning in those striations. He nipped at Remus's stomach and Remus threaded his clawed-hands through Sirius's long black hair. He'd gotten twigs in it scuffling on the forest floor and Remus kind of liked the way it made him look all the better fucked and all the wilder.

"Don't, Pads," Remus whispered when Sirius kissed the tip of his cock.

Before he got the rest of his protest out, Sirius opened his jaw wide, wrapped his lips around the long shaft and sank down. Remus groaned, goosebumps running across his skin and his head dropping back at the pleasurable feel of having his cock sucked.

"You did it to me first," Sirius's chuckled, before licking him again.

"I have twelve years' worth of apologies to make to you," Remus argued, "And if you keep doing that, I'll have to make another after what I do to you."

"Don't dirty talk me, Moony," Sirius laughed huskily, "You know I like it. And if you ever apologise for what you do when you fuck me, I'll maim you."

Remus felt the lust in him bubble and fizz dangerously, threatening to consume him. Threatening to overwhelm him until Sirius wouldn't be able to sit down for a week. Already Padfoot was walking a little bit funny from the things Remus had been doing to him, trying to keep from pouncing on the teenage girl they were both in love with.

"I can't go back there, Pads," Remus muttered, trying to keep his thoughts in order. Trying to push the wolf back down, "Not when she smells so much like Mimi, but isn't Mimi."

"She's the girl Mimi was before she arrived and started changing things for us in 1974," Sirius argued with him, "She's what our girl was before time-travel and the war fucked her up."

"Which means she's likely time-looped and will go back there again," Remus argued through clenched teeth, moving his hands to Sirius's shoulders and digging his nails in.

"We won't let her," Sirius shrugged, swirling his tongue around the weeping head of Remus's cock, "I'm never letting her go again. She's ours, Moony."

"Fuck!" Remus swore again at the possessive growl in Sirius's tone, making him crave her, crave him, crave what they'd had before Mimi had disappeared.

"You might not have a choice, Sirius. If she's already gone back, then she is destined to do so, otherwise we wouldn't know her."

"That's not how time works and you know it," Sirius argued with him, "Mimi went back on purpose and tried to cut Peter out of our lives. Hermione knows what Peter has done, but she hasn't gone back. She had that time-turner in her third year and she gave it back, using it only to save my life and Buckbeak's, not to travel twenty years to the past and try to fix our lives. She can't get access to another one now."

"She's Hermione sodding Granger, she'll get her hands on one if she decides she needs it for something," Remus growled, prying Sirius' mouth off his cock as the discussion fuelled his violence and lust and rage once more.

"You're sure she's who became the Mimi we knew?" Sirius asked, his voice husky when Remus jerked the Animagus up until he could snog his lips soundly before using his claws to turn the man until he was on all fours, "You're sure she's not… you know… the kid we fucked into Mimi before she disappeared?"

"Smells identical to Mimi, looks almost identical. If she were our daughter instead of our Mimi, she'd smell different. I thought she must be our daughter when I first saw her, but when I smelled her this summer after she lost her virginity, I knew she's who becomes Mimi," Remus hissed, aligning his cock before shoving home, deep inside Sirius and feeling his wolf sit up and howl at Sirius's growling-purr of pleasure.

Sinking his hands into Sirius's long black hair, Remus rocked into him until every last inch of his throbbing cock was sheathed in his best mate's tight arse. Their conversation fell to the wayside in favour of incoherent humming, purring and growling as all thought fled but for their pleasure.

"Still so fucking tight even after all this time, Pads," he muttered, pulling Sirius's hair with one hand and knowing how much the man liked it when he arched his back, his fingers tangling with Remus's other hand on the forest floor where he rested it for balance.

Sirius groaned, "Fuck, give it to me, Moony! Stop holding back!"

"I'll break you," Remus protested, gnashing his teeth to resist the urge to completely dominate the Animagus.

"I like it when you break me," Sirius moaned softly, rocking forwards and then back until his tail-bone bumped against Remus's pelvis, "Break me now so you don't shred me when the moon comes. You know I can take it."

"I broke Tonks," Remus admitted, "She screamed."

"Good for her, Moony," Sirius growled, losing patience with him, "But if you don't fucking screw me until I can't move, you're going to go back to the house and do something stupid to Hermione before the full moon comes and then you'll never forgive yourself, so quit stalling, quit trying to hang onto your rationality and fuck me."

"But I hate hurting you," Remus protested, his control slipping by the second as he withdrew before pushing in harder.

"You're a fucking liar," Sirius snarled in retort, bracing his hands and rearing backward into Moony's hard penetration until Remus lost it and the wolf took over.

He rode him hard then, diving deep, rutting, sweating, snarling, cursing. Sirius howled, a combination of pleasure, pain and his submission to the alpha of his Pack. Sirius's hand worked his own cock, stroking it and talking dirty while Remus pounded into him, Remus's claws biting into Sirius's hips, gouging long furrows in the flesh over scars and scabs left there from the same treatment over their many long years of friendship and many hours spent fucking each other.

Sirius cried out when Remus fitted his teeth over the Pack mark of his shoulder, his clawed fingers intertwined with Sirius's on the forest floor. Like the canines they could both become, they fucked until Sirius's arms gave out from the strain. He hissed as he spilled his load on the ground when he collapsed and Remus fucked him even harder, tunnelling deeper, groaning at the way the leverage of the unrelenting ground beneath Sirius held him in place, ready for every brutal rut.

"Hike your arse up, Pads," Moony growled in his ear, blood on his mouth, his eyes glowing a feral shade of gold as the savagery of the wolf rode them both hard.

"Shit, yeah," Sirius hissed, Moony's fierce grip on his hair forcing him to turn his head until he could snog the werewolf hard on the mouth.

Remus snarled deep in his throat when Sirius managed to lever his arse a little higher, sending him deeper. He was close now, he could feel the ferocious burn building inside him, ready to break free. Sirius kissed him harder, nipping his lips, biting his tongue. He was whimpering now as the pleasure of his own high began to wane and the pain set in. Moony was too lost to the feral nature of his wilder side to stop or to take it easier on the Animagus.

"Give it to me, Moony," he whispered against Remus's lips, begging for it to be over, begging to be filled up, marked with blood, sweat and come as surely as he'd been marked with fangs and claws.

The vicious howl tore from Remus's throat when Sirius clenched as tight as he could, holding him deep inside and pulling him off the ledge and into orgasm, reminiscent of the way a certain witch they both loved had so often done to both of them when she couldn't handle being so full of the pair of them. The sound echoed through the forest, scaring away all who heard it and alerting the forest-dwellers that a werewolf was on the prowl. Remus pumped his load deep inside his friend until he was spent, collapsing on Sirius, his teeth buried in the Pack mark once more.

They lay like that for a long time, pressed against the forest floor heedless of the dirt, twigs and leaf-litter they disturbed, utterly spent and for the first time in weeks, Remus felt like he was almost completely human. The wolf was tranquil and exhausted for the time being.

"You alright?" he asked of Sirius when he levered himself up enough to pull his softening member from inside the man.

"Mmmm," Sirius hummed affirmatively, his eyes still closed and his fingers intertwined with Remus's.

"That usually means no," Remus sighed, remorse flooding him over the damage he'd done to the only person he still allowed himself to love so fervently.

"One day you're going to remember that I love you, Moony," Sirius retorted softly, pulling Remus back down on top of him where he was sprawled on the ground and looking quite comfortable despite being naked in the dirt.

"One day I'll be able to show you I love you back without hurting you," Remus said, nuzzling his nose into Sirius's neck and pressing kisses to his skin gently.

"The day you stop hurting me, Remus," Sirius told him quietly, "Will be the day you don't love me anymore. So shove your remorse up your arse because I didn't sign up for your self-deprecating bullshit."

"Just the rough sex," Remus retorted dryly.

"You know me so well," Sirius laughed, "Get off me, would you? There's a tree root digging into my ribs."

"How many of them did I break this time?" Remus wanted to know, rolling off Sirius but pulling the man with him until Remus was stretched out on his back with Sirius on top of him instead.

"Three," Sirius told him, "They'll heal when I shift in a minute."

Remus sighed, letting Sirius squirm off him until they were laying side by side, still naked, peering up at the canopy of the forest.

"I hate the blood moon," Remus told him, turning his head to look at his best friend. He knew better than to apologise for hurting him, biting, wrestling, fucking or even maiming him. Sirius carried through on his threats and maimed him in return for every apology that left his lips.

"You hate every full moon," Sirius laughed at him in return, "Do you feel better?"

"Yes," Remus admitted, "For now, anyway. The moon's still two nights away."

"I know," Sirius sighed, closing his eyes slowly before returning to the conversation they'd been having before the sex got too out of hand, "If she smells identical but didn't when she had the time-turner two years ago, it stands to reason that she'll get another Turner, Moony."

Remus glanced at the black haired wizard lying next to him. He'd spent a lifetime looking at him from this angle, admiring the cold, sinister beauty of his features, drinking in the sight he made when he looked so blissed out and content in his post-coital high, even after Remus ravaged him. Hell, especially when Remus ravaged him. The only time he'd ever looked even more relaxed and even happier than he did right then had been when Mimi had been their girl and Remus had confided to Sirius, post-fuck, that one of them had just knocked her up.

The thought reminded him of the fact that Sirius had looked delirious with happiness that they wouldn't even know whose kid it was – which one of them was the father – because they'd doubled her core when she'd begged them to fill her until she screamed.

"We can't let her get another one, Pads. You know how time works. If she were stuck on a loop, she'd have gone back at the end of third year. She didn't."

"Yeah, but she didn't smell like Mimi then either," Sirius pointed out, "Then Hermione fucked Krum over the summer and now she smells like our Mimi. What does that mean? That when she went back to our time to grow up with us, she'd already lost her virginity? Did Hermione do something different?"

"It means she likely _was_ in a loop as Mimi and whatever Mimi did broke the loop. If the loop were still in effect, Hermione would have gone back and nothing would have changed because when it's a loop, nothing can be changed," Remus mused, "So whatever Mimi did, she somehow broke her loop."

"Do you think that's why she disappeared?" Sirius asked in a whisper, "Because Hermione was being born in this time?"

"I did, for a while," Remus admitted, "But the timing is wrong. Hermione was born on September 19th, 1979. Mimi didn't disappear until May 14th, 1980."

"What if… Moony, when I hunted him down, Wormtail told me he knew what had happened to her. Said that if I spared him, he'd take me to her. It's how he out-duelled me in the first place… What if he took her? He was always jealous of the three of us and as much as he hated her, he craved her too. When he bound me, he spat that if he couldn't have her, no one could. What if he took her? What if she's still alive?"

"Even if he did take her, she's dead, Sirius," Remus told him softly, "You know that. The Pack bond to her burned out a few months after you were thrown in prison. If he took her, he put her somewhere and then he didn't dare go back. She likely…"

"Starved," Sirius whispered, finishing the sentence when Remus couldn't and a tear escaped from beneath his closed eyelids.

Having lived the way they had done, Remus as a werewolf who couldn't hold down a job and so could barely afford to buy food; and Sirius, who'd spent twelve years rotting and starving in prison before spending another year on the run living on rats and whatever he could hunts as Snuffles, the idea of the girl they loved starving to death was a painful one.

"Hermione has no memory of the girl we knew," Remus reminded him quietly, reaching over and tugging Sirius back to his chest, "She doesn't know who we are and the things we did with Mimi."

"Doesn't make me love her any less," Sirius admitted softly.

"I know," Remus whispered, "But she's not of age, and no matter how much she smells like desire whenever she's with either, or both of us, she's not even sixteen yet, Pads."

"How does Tonks factor into your plans, then?" Sirius asked, changing the subject, "'Mi's even younger than Tonks and you were once as happy as I was when Mimi was pregnant. You could have that again with Dora, Moony. She's your mate. You're destined to be with her. You fancy her and you're protective as hell over her. Why didn't you mark her?"

"When I was happy about Mimi's pregnancy, we were all the same age and had lived through everything together. She understood me, our triad worked and it all made sense. How can I lay claim to a witch who knows sweet fuck all about me other than that fate is making her fancy me and that I'm a fucking werewolf?"

"She's your destiny, you bloody idiot," Sirius scoffed, "Hand-picked to be the one person who will complete you. I know me and 'Mi came close, and when she grows up some more, Hermione might be open to the same thing we had with Mimi. But you know that as close as we come, me and her never clicked just right into that hole where Dora belongs. You going to make the poor witch suffer just because you're too chicken to tell everyone you want a woman half your age and you don't know how she'll handle knowing you want to fuck me and another witch even younger than her."

"She's your bloody cousin," Remus sighed, "It's not like I can invite you in."

"Good thing too," Sirius laughed, shuddering, "I don't want to get anywhere near that one. I love the brat, but I just know that if we ever got by the familial ties, she'd screw with my head and transform into something wretched, like Snivellus or something just to fuck with me."

"I don't think Moony would let me invite you in anyway," Remus admitted, laughing and also shuddering at the imagery.

"Oh, so we can share my wife, but not yours?" Sirius teased.

"You know it's not because I don't want to share with you," Remus reminded him, "It's a…"

"Mate thing, I get it. I mean, I don't. Never could've handled sharing Mimi with anyone but you… and well…"

They both made a face at the reminder of the time they'd had to share Mimi with anyone but each other.

"He never stopped rubbing that in," Remus grumbled, "Her too."

"Yeah, but that's because she was still unsure how to feel about the whole thing given that she'd been drinking. I mean, there's family, and then there's Pack. I don't think she was really ready to be family, let alone Pack."

"Had to seal the bond," Remus shrugged.

"You ever wonder if that's part of why…?"

"Wormtail turned on us?" Remus asked, tilting his head to meet his friend's gaze, "Because he wasn't part of the Pack, bitten in and actually bonded to us? Yeah. For a while I did. I mean, when I thought you killed them all, no. But… after… yeah, every now and then it's been bothering me. Maybe if he'd been part of the Pack, he wouldn't have turned."

"We didn't push him out though," Sirius mused, "And there's no way he'd ever have been cool with the idea of the three of us fucking the way we did. He was weird enough about the snogging in first year and the mistletoe messes after it. Imagine what he'd have done if he knew we were swapping spunk instead of just spit."

Remus snorted at the idea, knowing the fourth and least favoured Marauder would've run away screaming, spread rumours about them and probably never have spoken to any of them again.

"Imagine how he'd have acted if he knew how often we fucked in the bed right next to his," Remus laughed, combing a hand through Sirius's hair, "He'd have been even twitchier, thinking we were going to hit on him and something."

"We did hit on him just to watch him squirm," Sirius retorted.

"You did. He'd have cried if I tried it," Remus grinned.

"You are a bit intense," Sirius admitted, smirking widely, "Now quit changing the subject. Are you gonna claim your witch or am I going to have to put up with you bitching and moaning all the time because you want her, but don't want to give me up?"

"You think I'm ever going to give you up?" Remus challenged.

"No, but I'll bet you think you have too," Sirius said, "There's no way Moony will let you share her with anyone and you'll be a hypocrite if you expect her to share you without returning the favour."

"I'm having terrible mental images that involve her transforming herself so that she's got a dick, suggesting she fucks me with it," Remus grimaced suddenly.

"That's my job," Sirius smirked.

"Only after the full moon."

"Only 'cause you're a control freak," Sirius retorted, nipping him lightly, "Otherwise I'd bend you over and fuck you every day."

"I blow you every day, how does that make me a control freak?"

"You insist on controlling my pleasure and don't like surrendering the dominance to me," Sirius pointed out.

"Take it up with Moony," Remus shrugged his shoulders.

"I tried once," Sirius smirked, "He fucked me too."

"What? When?" Remus asked, turning to him with wide eyes.

"Full moon after my escape," Sirius told him, "You were still being snarly from not having company on the full moon for so many years. I tried to insist it would be good for us to re-establish dominance, and you fucked me."

"As a wolf?" Remus asked, his nose wrinkling in horror.

"I was canine too," Sirius shrugged, "And don't make that face, you've fucked as the wolf before."

"One time," Remus grumbled, "And the little witch was twitching her tail at me too much."

"She loved twitching her tail at you," Sirius smirked, "At me too,"

"I don't know how we didn't knock her up before '79," Remus shook his head, "We fucked her so much she'd have been bow legged if she couldn't shift."

"She was meticulous with her potions and her charms. You never saw her lining things up before every full moon, but she had a concoction of things she'd take. Contraceptive potion. A muggle pill of some kind. Charms," Sirius shook his head fondly.

"How'd she get pregnant then?" Remus asked, knowing she'd always been adamant about contraception.

"I've wondered that myself," Sirius admitted, "I reckon she did it on purpose. She begged us both to fuck her twat that night instead of DPing her like normal. Lily and Alice were both pregnant around the same time, maybe she wanted the kids to all grow up together."

"And didn't want to mess with the balance we had by knowing which one of us was the father," Remus nodded, chuckling, "Who do you reckon?"

"Me," Sirius grinned, "You might be all dominance and Alpha, but I'm faster."

"Not something to brag about, Pads," Remus smirked at him.

"Not what I meant and you bloody know it. Knock it off or I'll bend you over and show you how long I can go," Sirius threatened.

"Don't threaten me," Remus rolled his eyes, "The wolf's too close and you'll end up on your knees again. I know your arse is hurting."

"Burns like fuck," Sirius confirmed, before grinning devilishly, "It's fantastic."

"You're twisted."

"Don't pretend you don't like the burn after I fuck you raw too, mate," Sirius told him, "You stay cheery for days every time I have my way with you."

Remus rolled his eyes again at Sirius's smugness and his cockiness. He didn't tell him that sometimes he did prefer to take it than give it because it made him feel like Sirius actually, really wanted him, rather than that he'd do what he believed to be his duty in catering to his alpha's needs.

"Wouldn't want me to be miserable with Dora then, would you?" Remus asked him, raising one eyebrow.

"She'll make you happier than I ever do," Sirius argued, and a little frown marred his brow for a moment at the thought.

"If that were true, I'd have run her down in the forest and fucked her bloody on the ground instead of you, idiot," Remus told him.

"Pretty sure I ran you down, Moony," Sirius smirked at him, "And I reckon you were so wild tonight because Moony wants to claim his mate rather than fucking the pack Beta instead. You gotta claim her or you're gonna whine and I'm going to have to maim you."

"And how will I tell my soulmate and my wife that I'll also be fucking her cousin and a girl who used to be my student?" Remus wanted to know.

"The same way I told my wife I was going to be fucking you," Sirius shrugged.

"Your wife was the one who suggested the three of us in the first place."

Sirius flipped him off before attempting to sit up.

"Fuck, I gotta shift or these ribs are gonna kill me," Sirius admitted, "And we need to get those leaves and get back to HQ. Told the Pup we'd sneak out back for a smoke tonight after Molly goes to bed."

"He'll see the marks all over you," Remus warned him, "You look well-fucked."

"I am well-fucked," Sirius retorted, obviously not caring about the idea of his godson knowing he and Remus shagged even as he went about rolling to his hands and knees before leaning over and kissing Remus's lips softly, "Thanks for that, by the way."

"I hate it when you thank me for hurting you, Pads," Remus sighed against his lips, kissing him lightly in return to avoid rousing the beast within him again.

"Because you're a selfish git who misunderstand my pain-slut needs," Sirius retorted, snorting as he pulled away, "Just accept that I love it, even when it hurts like a cunt. Mend my clothes for me, could you?"

With that said, Sirius transformed, hissing and wincing when his broken ribs snapped back into place with three audible clicks. Remus winced as well, sitting up as the big black dog shook his fur out and began to stretch.

"How did you get out of the house again anyway?" Remus asked, frowning as his friend suddenly changed back once more, "You're meant to be on lockdown. I was meant to get the leaves in secret and then come back since we're both still in trouble after the other day. How did you slip by Molly?"

"Ducked out when she went to shower. Hermione was smirking at me the whole time. Had to tell her you're a prat who'd pick the wrong mandrake leaves for the lot of them and end up bodging things up. Told her you need supervision."

"Because of the two of us, I'm the least mature?" Remus scoffed, "You're a bad influence on her. I still can't believe she broke the rules and snuck you out of the house."

"I'm still pissed she gave her virginity to the Bulgarian tosser instead of us," Sirius replied, "And that she's been getting into other debauchery with that muggle cousin of hers. Did you hear her say she'd snogged another bird? She's been drinking and smoking and probably trying out drugs without us, Moony."

Remus rolled his eyes when Sirius pouted, "Hurry up and get dressed then so we can get the leaves and get back to further corrupt her."

Sirius perked up at the idea as he ferreted around for his clothes, throwing Remus some of his things as he went. Remus shook his head at the wizard, amused and grateful as always that losing Mimi, losing Prongs, being betrayed and rotting for twelve years in Azkaban still hadn't robbed him of his childlike enthusiasm for engaging in debauchery.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Okay, so I suck at keeping to my once-a-month update schedule and I'm giving this to you two weeks early. Sue me. I want to make special mention of everyone who takes the time to leave comments. You're so wonderful and your kind words and eager shouts for more make me write faster. Thanks ever so much! xx-Kitten.**

* * *

 **Used To Be Mine**

 _By Kittenshift17_

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

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 **12** **th** **August, 1995**

 **Diagon Alley, London**

Hermione stuck close the Sirius, Remus and Harry as she moved through the Alley buying the things she'd need for the coming year at school. The mandrake leaf in her mouth was irritating beyond imagining and Hermione was having trouble keeping from spitting it out or swallowing it. She was tense and alert. The alley was busy, plenty of their friends from school coming up to say hello and plenty more looking thrilled and surprised to see Remus. Sirius, in dog form, made sure to make a complete menace of himself before always returning to her side or Harry's. the fact that he was a big black dog, so resembling the Grim, also meant that a number of people paled and looked faint at the sight of him, many of them hurrying away and muttering about needing to get their will and testament in order, just in case.

Superstitious fools. Not that Sirius didn't find amusement from the way he'd growled at a couple of them, just for the hell of it.

Trying not to lose her temper with the interruptions, Hermione shifted the leaf inside her mouth, moving it to rest against her upper gum, held there by the inside of her cheek before she sank her fingers into Sirius's long black fur. He wasn't supposed to have come with them when he was so big and so imposing. Sirius, however, had refused to let Harry out of his sight when he could potentially be attacked by Death Eaters in the alley, so he'd come along, against orders, in his Animagus form.

"This leaf is going to be the death of me," Hermione told the dog as she waited beside him while Remus accompanied Harry, Ron and Ginny inside the Quidditch store for broom servicing equipment and other flying-related supplies.

Sirius couldn't talk, but he did glance up at her knowingly. She'd been frustrated for days with the leaf in her mouth. Sirius assured her it had to do with the fact that the properties of the leaf were triggering certain aspects of her core magic, unlocking parts of her that might never before have unlocked. It would better allow her to delve into the part of her magical core that would let her produce a patronus or allow for self-transformation and self-charming – a combination of which she needed to learn to achieve Animagi at all.

She'd been reading up on both, Sirius having hauled out an alarming number of books on the subject from his school trunk for her perusal, something he insisted she do inside his bedroom where she couldn't be caught reading them. Already Mrs Weasley was suspicious of what they were up to. Ron had swallowed his leaf twice, meaning he had to start the process all over again. He'd had a stomach upset each time as well. Ginny had been positively wild with her moods as a result of the leaves, only too eager to try animagi, even though she and Ron had both looked a bit alarmed by the idea of doing so to spend time with a werewolf under a full moon.

Mostly they were doing it because they wanted something to focus on other than the never-ending cleaning of Number 12, and their mother's nagging about summer school-work. When their letters had arrived and Ron had been made Prefect alongside Hermione herself, Hermione had been annoyed, but Ron had been stoked. She knew Harry was a bit out of sorts about it, but he hadn't said anything. Of course, he hadn't needed to when she found him and Sirius sitting in Buckbeak's room at the top of the house, both of them smoking heavily and drinking firewhiskey while Sirius told Harry about James not being prefect and about their Quidditch days.

"Is it meant to make me this cranky?" Hermione continued, combing her fingers through Sirius's sleek black coat as she sat on a bench outside the shop with the dog by her side. She'd grown very fond of touching him, noticing he'd developed a habit of touching her whenever it suited him after their jail-break and her shouting at the Order last week.

He didn't seem to do it in a sexual way. More in a way as though he couldn't help himself, bumping his shoulder against hers in the kitchen when serving themselves food. Brushing a curl back from her face while she spoke to him. Throwing his arm casually around her whenever she stood nearby to him. Hermione hadn't even really noticed, other than to think it was nice, except that Ron had been grumbling about it that morning, calling attention to the fact that Sirius had gone out of his way sit near her at breakfast. Bumping his elbow to hers as they ate, laughing and telling jokes to Harry about the times he and James had gone to Diagon Alley in their youth and a prank they'd played on the owner of the Owl Emporium, transfiguring all the owls into big old bull-frogs for an hour.

Sirius nodded at her, allowing his tongue to hang out of his mouth as he answered her question. Hermione could tell her bad mood was amusing him immensely, especially when he shuffled around slightly and put his head in her lap, peering up at her with those canine-gold eyes.

"Tell me it improves?" Hermione asked him hopefully, "That I'll stop being cranky and start being more… I don't know… anything other than wanting to howl in frustration?"

The others were all experiencing different things as a result of the magic too. Ginny was more prone to stamping her feet than ever, and she got skittish if people tried to sneak up on her – something both Fred and George had taken to doing with great amusement. The twins had caught onto what they were doing within the first day after Remus and Sirius had returned with the leaves in tow. They'd insisted on also learning animagi, simply for the joy it would bring them to unsettle their mother when they transformed while she was trying to scold them.

Ron had been more boisterous than ever, randomly being struck with bouts of wild energy that sent him racing off up the stairs only to return a few minutes later, out of breath and climbing the walls with boredom. Molly had scolded him a number of times in the past few days for his behaviour. Hermione suspected that the adults all believed them to be terribly bored with being cooped up in Grimmauld Place and that was the only reason they'd been allowed to come to Diagon Alley to do their shopping in the first place. There had been talk of sending a few of the adults to fetch everyone's things instead, but Molly had insisted it would do them all good to get out of the house when she found Ron opening and closing the pantry mindlessly like he might find something new each time.

Harry, on the other hand, had taken to charging at people – namely Sirius and Remus – when he got annoyed about something. She was beginning to think that these changes were unlocking parts of them that indicated the type of animal they might turn into because it was so closely linked to their core magic, and thus their soul. With the others, Hermione was beginning to speculate on what they might be becoming, noticing that Ron seemed to be getting more and more like Sirius, making her think he would be some kind of dog if he managed to pull the magic off – something that wouldn't happen if he kept swallowing his leaves.

Harry's charging as though he had antlers, combined with his patronus charm had convinced Hermione, Sirius and Remus that like his father before him, Harry would be a stag in animal form. She wasn't so sure about the twins. They were trouble makers, never afraid of getting into trouble and finding amusement in annoying others. Their habit of sneaking up on Ginny had combined with them often picking fights with everyone, instigating bickering little arguments that tended to explode into something bigger with both of them able to scurry away while their mother lost her temper about something.

Not that they were discriminatory about who they provoked. They'd managed to draw Snape into an argument three nights ago when they'd plied the irate wizard with questions about a particular potion, poking holes in all the theory for that potion and claiming it was being incorrectly brewed. The entire scene had ended with Professor McGonagall shoving a snarling and threatening Professor Snape from the room while Sirius, Remus and even Mr Weasley had all shouted at the man, accusing him of attempting to poison Remus with his monthly doses of Wolfsbane potion.

Throughout the entire argument, Fred and George had looked on, seeming entirely amused, and had even called out to Snape as he was forcibly removed from the premises that they would hit him up at school for some Essence of Euphoria. Something he'd snarled they could jam somewhere rather unpleasant on each other's person.

Hermione herself had found she'd developed a habit of pacing when she sat still for too long unless she was immersed in a good book. She snapped at everyone, and had even bared her teeth at Ron that very morning when he'd mentioned Sirius's habit of touching her. She'd have been alarmed by the behaviour if Sirius hadn't done the very same thing to the red-head, looking much more ferocious when his fangs had grown in somewhat, his teeth lengthening and sharpening dangerously.

She'd been cranky, out of sorts, prone to snapping, pacing like a caged beast and strangely deferential to Remus. That had alarmed her most of all. She'd always liked and respected the werewolf, and her growing crush on the man was becoming something of a problem, but she'd never before felt the need to submit to him. Yet just yesterday when he had entered the kitchen while she was having an early breakfast, he'd come right up to her, intent on reaching past her for a tea-cup, and Hermione had suddenly tipped her head to one side, exposing her throat to him.

She'd been so shocked by her own behaviour that she'd squeaked at Remus, whose eyes had flashed to lupine gold before he'd simply reacted. She had huffed out a breath of surprise and supressed a moan of desire when he had leaned into her exposed neck and bitten her just enough to smart but not to break the skin. He'd followed the action by licking the length of her neck in one long, affectionate-seeming swipe before pressing a chaste kiss just under her jaw.

Hermione had been left feeling mortified, confused and rather turned on by the time he'd pulled back and blinked the wolf from his gaze. His green eyes had widened in shock and he'd apologised for what he'd done before he'd eyed her for a long moment, turned on his heel and left the kitchen.

"Is it me, or does this place seem more crowded than usual?" Hermione asked of Sirius, her eyes dancing around the alley as she waited for her friends, trying to focus and feeling the strangest urge to snarl at everyone before slinking away to somewhere a bit less congested. She felt on edge and frustrated. The heat was doing nothing to help and all she wanted to do was return to Grimmauld Place and climb the stairs to Sirius's room where she could continue her study on Animagi.

Sirius glanced around the Alley, shrugged his shoulders and put his head back in her lap. Hermione shook her head and closed her own eyes, tipping her head back as she smoothed her fingers over the silky-soft fur of his ears as she tried to block out the hum of the crowd and the oppressive heat of the summer. She wanted to go back to Herne Bay. She wanted the freedom of walking along the beach, maybe a swim. The last thing she wanted was to push through people, being nice to them and being on the alert for Death Eater attacks.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

 **Number 12, Grimmauld Place**

Sirius stared across the table at Remus for the length of the Order meeting that night. He could almost still feel Hermione's hands smoothing through his fur as she'd sat there in the alley. He could still smell her scent on his skin from the places he'd brushed up against her throughout the day in both forms.

She was in a bad mood, stroppy with the effect of the leaves and riling with the changes her inner animal was wreaking upon her petite frame. Already she seemed leaner. A little wilier. More prone to snapping. She'd snapped at him two days ago, literally. She'd lunged right at him when he been teasing her in the kitchen and she'd nipped his arm when he'd caught her, spun her and pressed her back against his chest.

The burn of the firewhiskey he was drinking felt pleasant going down. It was amusing to him, sitting there and watching Remus, who was trying to avoid eye-contact with Nymphadora across the table. His poor cousin had tripped over the umbrella stand, spilled her coffee all over the scrolls of parchment they'd been discussing earlier and looked outright heartbroken when Remus had barely greeted her with a nod after the way he'd fucked her last week.

And Sirius knew how well the man had fucked her because his cousin was still wearing the necklace of love-bites Remus had left on her skin. Something she hadn't even blushed over when Snape had curled his lip and when Molly had looked scandalised. Remus was refusing to make eye contact with her, even when the witch asked him a direct question, and Sirius could tell that it was bugging her.

Her hair, which had been a lovely shade of violet upon arrival, had darkened to magenta and was brightening now towards a fierce shade of angry puce revealing that she was silently seething. Sirius was trying not to laugh about it all, knowing the poor little witch had probably figured out Remus was avoiding her because of his condition. Sirius couldn't tell if she knew they were fated soulmates, though she apparently hadn't had eyes for anyone but Remus since meeting him mid-way through last year. What he could tell was for all that to everyone else, Remus was looking indifferent to her presence, as he ordinarily did, the man was far from indifferent.

His eyes kept flickering to gold and he'd growled under his breath when Snape had spoken to Dora about something. Sirius had been forced to slide down slightly in his chair in order to kick Remus under the table when he'd seen a flash of fang. The wolf wanted to mark his mate, no matter how much the man in him was fighting fate and trying to hold out for his ridiculously noble reasons. Not that he didn't understand those reasons, but Sirius still thought he was being a bloody fool.

When Remus helped himself to Sirius's glass of whiskey, reaching across the table and taking the glass from his hand before downing it in one long gulp, Sirius knew the man was in trouble. He wanted to hold off on marking the witch and claiming her because of her young age and because of his conviction on the notion that if he ever reproduced, his kids would be monsters. Nothing Sirius said to the contrary seemed to sway his conviction, but Sirius would wear him down. That and Dora was likely to rip Remus a new one.

Sirius was looking forward to seeing it. No one had really ripped Remus a new one since Mimi had been alive. She'd torn him to shreds a number of times, forcing him to see reason when he got it into his stubborn head that his kids would be monsters, that he was a monster, or that he was a danger to everyone he associated with. Sirius tried, of course, but no amount of maiming, beating, shagging or screaming had managed to convince Remus he wouldn't sire monsters since Mimi had disappeared.

Indeed, for a long time Remus had blamed himself for her disappearance, wrongly believing that she'd vanished as a result of being pregnant with his monster offspring and running for it before she had to face them, eat her words, and bare the shame and pain of birthing a feral beast. Remus's words, of course.

No, Sirius had tried talking sense into him, but he wouldn't budge on the topic. That and the idea of his ever marrying when he couldn't hold a job, had no money and relied on Sirius for his survival to an extent, were two things Remus Lupin would not be moved about. As the alpha of his pack, Sirius could only do so much before Moony got involved and he was forced to submit or fight for his life.

But Dora…. Well, Dora had been born to be the alpha female to Remus's alpha male. She was more than capable of ripping the man a new one and by the look on her face, she was getting good and frothy, intent on doing just that.

When Sirius poured himself a second glass of whiskey, Remus confiscated that one too and downed it in one. Sirius began to chuckle to himself, knowing that if the wolf stayed in charge, he'd drink the bottle dry and not even blink at the amount of alcohol he was consuming. Conjuring a second glass for himself, Sirius refilled the one Remus had stolen before filling his own new one and sipping from it. He kicked Remus again too when the werewolf looked like he might down the third glass in a row, catching the way the others had begun to eye him, clearly noticing his mood.

It was far more volatile seeming than Dora's, though the witch was openly furious with him and had been glaring at him all meeting. That was the thing about being a werewolf and being an alpha. Everyone reacted to the wildness in his eyes and the untapped power in his bearing. Even Moody and Snape, both notoriously stubborn for standing in the face of Remus's black moods, both looked wary when the werewolf paused mid drink, flicked wolf-gold eyes to Sirius and then continued to down the liquor in one.

Molly looked appalled by his display and Sirius figured the meeting was going to go to shit in a hurry if they were all more focused on Remus than on their topic for discussion. Elphias Doge – who up until then had been sitting beside Remus calmly – suddenly got to his feet, wringing his hat in his hands and beginning to pace nervously.

Remus had that effect and Sirius could tell Remus's mood darkened further at the fact that he was clearly making people uncomfortable. Smirking around his glass, Sirius got up from his own seat, rounded the table and dropped into the vacated chair beside Remus. He even scooted it closer until he was sitting side on to the werewolf, half-facing him. Under the table, Sirius curled both legs around Remus's nearest shin, his feet circling one of Remus's under the table even as he poured him another drink.

Remus was still growling under his breath and Sirius could tell he wanted to bare his fangs at Tonks because it was her mood that was setting him off in the first place. Everyone continued discussing the topics – most of which Sirius wasn't even listening to as he drank next to his best friend.

Just as the topic switched to something Snivellus had been working on, the supposedly locked door of the kitchen opened and a pyjama-clad, messy-haired witch entered the room. She didn't even look up, carrying a book in one wand, and twirling locks of her curly hair around her wand with the other. She wore only a cute little pair of purple bed-shorts, Ugg boots on her feet and what looked like one of Sirius's old Quidditch jerseys.

"Hermione, dear?" Molly asked, the designated person for wrangling the young witches and wizards currently calling Headquarters home.

Hermione gave no indication that she'd heard Molly, or even that she was aware she'd just entered a private Order meeting.

"Is she trying to spy on the meeting?" Moody asked, "How did she get through the door? Who warded it?"

"You warded it, Mad-Eye," Bill Weasley reminded the man, snorting, "Leave her be, she's not spying. She can't even hear you, Mum."

Indeed, Hermione gave no indication that she could hear them or even that she knew any of them were in the room. Instead she wandered over to the kettle in the corner, tapping it with her wand and bringing it to the boil. Sirius watched on, feeling a strange tightness in his chest when she stuck her wand in the waistband of her pants – making Moody hiss about constant vigilance and wand safety. She was definitely wearing one of Sirius's jerseys. The name "Black" was stamped across her shoulders. The red and gold of the fabric looked good on her.

It was too big for her, almost hiding her cute little shorts from view, but she didn't seem aware of that or even that she was wearing it. Sirius could tell she'd been up in his room reading because she was carrying one of his books on Animagi. The ones she wasn't supposed to read outside of his bedroom lest Molly catch on to their plot. With the hand she'd freed of her wand, Hermione reached for her favourite mug, followed by three more and Sirius looked on, intrigued. The meeting was running long tonight thanks to the arguments and fights that kept breaking out.

She couldn't be making the hot drinks for anyone else from upstairs. In all honesty, Sirius had thought she and the rest of the kids would be in bed by now. It was late and he doubted the tea was for anyone else up there. Especially when he watched the way she fixed each one. A large dollop of honey in one a black tea in the first mug. A hot chocolate in the second, and a jasmine tea in the third, along with a white tea with two for herself.

Sirius furrowed his brow, recognising who they were for. Everyone was watching her in silence and when everything was made, she took the handles of the honey tea and the hot chocolate in one hand and carried them over to and around the table. Hermione didn't even speak as she leaned between him and Remus – who was still growling softly despite the distraction Hermione made – before setting the tea in front of Sirius himself, and the hot chocolate in front of Moony.

As she pulled back from setting them down, book still in hand and her eyes still glued to the page, she brushed her left cheek to Remus's, heedless of his growling and the fact that everyone else was on edge and uncomfortable in his presence. Sirius breathed in her cinnamon, honey and freshly fallen snow scent when she did the same thing to him, brushing her right cheek to his and carding her fingers through his hair affectionately.

She didn't say a word as she moved back over and collected the third cup she'd made before carrying it to the other side of the table and leaning over Dora's shoulder, depositing the green tea in front of the metamorphmagus. Sirius began to chuckle softly when he realised what was happening as the young witch absent-mindedly brushed her cheek to Dora's in just the same way she'd done to Remus before she wandered back to the bench as though to pick up her own tea.

"Uh… thanks, Hermione," Tonks said, looking at the cup of tea in front of her in confusion. Her hair shifted from the angry red she'd been sporting to a soft shade of yellow that looked almost blonde in her confusion.

Sirius watched Hermione as she went to pick up her own tea-cup before she suddenly cocked her head to one side, lifting her eyes towards the ceiling as though she could hear something. Copying the girl, Sirius blocked out the breathing, heartbeats and other noises coming from their group. Narrowing his senses to the other occupants within the house, Sirius heard the sound of Harry drawing in a slow, shuddering breath and muttering to himself about ridiculous nightmares and Ron's snoring.

She pulled another cup from the cupboard and began fixing tea for Harry the way he liked it. Book still in hand, mind still enthralled by the facts she was absorbing as she absently went about things.

"What is she doing?" Tonks whispered, "Why can't she hear us and why did she…?"

The metamorphmagus touched a hand to her own cheek in silent question. Sirius raised one eyebrow at Remus, knowing he knew the answer to that question as well as Sirius did himself.

"Pack magic," Remus whispered, his eyes still the gold of the wolf as he watched the teenage witch.

Hermione finished fixing the tea she was making before taking the handles of both cups once more and trailing out of the kitchen without acknowledging her actions, or the curiosity of everyone in the room.

"Did she just…?"Bill asked, raising one eyebrow as the door creaked closed behind the witch, clicked shut and then locked itself once more. Wandlessly, given that she was carrying a book in one hand, two mugs in the other and had her wand stuffed in her waistband.

"Wandless?" Sirius asked, turning to Remus.

"I…" Remus looked too stunned by the fact that though they'd done nothing to seal a Pack bond between them in this time, and though he'd yet to actually claim Dora as his mate, Hermione had just acknowledged the other witch as alpha female of the pack she shouldn't be tapping into without being bitten.

"Was she wearing your clothing, Sirius?" Molly asked, one of the first to recover as she turned to him with narrowed eyes.

"Mmm," Sirius hummed affirmatively as he nodded, "Reading a book from my private collection too."

Molly looked like she might hex him at the very idea of the young witch coming and going from his bedroom and helping herself to his belongings whenever it suited her. It certainly didn't look very good from the perspective that he was an adult, had a past reputation as a bit of a rake, and she was still just a fifteen year old witch. That she was the best friend of his godson didn't look all that great either, and Sirius took another long drink of his firewhiseky when many of the others began to glare at him as though he'd corrupted her.

"She just…" Remus muttered, reaching up and touching his cheek before peering at the hot chocolate in front of him, his brow furrowed as though he'd been thrown for a loop, "She… I mean the other day she… but she shouldn't be fixing… well… shit!"

Sirius watched the way Remus was struggling. He'd told him about the incident when she'd bared her neck and submitted to his wolf. Sirius was more convinced than ever that whatever her Animagus form was going to be – having believed that like Mimi's it might be an arctic fox – it was clearly an animal who lived in a pack, respected the hierarchy and understood her place in it without being told. But foxes usually weren't pack animals, suggesting that whatever type of canine she might be concealing, it wasn't a fox.

His curiosity nipped at him over what other types of canine she could be, the idea rolling around in his brain. Wolves obviously lived in packs. Dogs too, though he doubted Hermione would be a dog when she managed to transform. Foxes were usually solitary, so that was out too. That left jackals, coyotes, dingos, African wild dogs, and dholes. Not many of those lived in packs with much frequency either. Sirius sipped from the tea cup she'd given him and he pondered what the little witch might turn out to be when she transformed.

"When the meeting is over," Molly began to threaten and Sirius blinked before looking up at the protective mother-hen of a witch where she was glaring at him.

Minerva, Snivellus, Arthur and a number of the other adults who'd interacted with Hermione were all glaring their annoyance and concern in his direction.

"Do save your threats, Molly," Sirius rolled his eyes, "It's not whatever you're currently thinking, so be very careful about just whom you go accusing of anything, alright?"

Molly narrowed her eyes on him further and Sirius doubted that would be the last he'd hear on the matter. Joy. Just what he needed. People looking into just what was going on between him, the witch he'd been in love with since he'd been sixteen, and the werewolf beside him – whom he'd been in love with since he was fourteen. The last thing he needed was anyone looking too closely at Hermione and just what sort of bond they all shared.

"She… made me tea?" Tonks whispered, "How does she even know I like green tea?"

Remus was the one to answer her with a muttered, "I'll explain it later, Dora."

Sirius smirked at the idea that Hermione's subconscious actions had sparked a requirement that his favourite werewolf and his favourite cousin would be forced to sort out their issues and address what they were to one another. Even if they didn't much want to.

Cocking his head to one side and blocking out the drone of the meeting as they went on about guarding the prophecy some more and about needing more recruits, Sirius listened to the sound of his favourite witch climbing the stairs, encountering Harry and insisting the boy join her upstairs in Sirius's room. He smirked to himself slightly at the idea that she counted the Pup as Pack and that she was so at home using his room as her own personal study. She was meant to be in bed and asleep in the room she shared with Ginny, but instead she was sitting up in his bed, drinking tea, studying animagi and chatting softly with his godson about his most recent nightmare.

"Oi, are you even listening, Sirius?" Bill asked, nudging him a good while later.

"What?" Sirius asked, blinking at them and surprised to see that half the Order had clearly left.

Those who remained were those likely to scold him for his interest in the young witch currently in his bed.

"Displaying your usual disregard for societal rules, Black?" Snivellus sneered at him.

"Run along and play with your chemistry set, Snivellus," Sirius retorted.

"What is the meaning of Hermione wearing your clothing and helping herself to your things, Sirius?" Minerva demanded and Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Most likely that she was cold and out of reading material," Sirius retorted.

"That's all you have to say?" Molly hissed, "She broke into the meeting, undoing Auror level wards just to make tea for herself, you, Remus, Tonks and I assume the last one was for Harry? She snuck you out of the house, she lost all sense of politeness, screeched and swore at Dumbledore and several others in defence of you and your behaviour. What have you done to her? If I find out you've been inappropriate with that girl, Sirius Black, so help me, I will wring your neck myself!"

"Molly," Remus growled suddenly before Sirius could even open his mouth to defend himself, angry words ready to waltz right off his tongue.

Everyone froze at the furious snarl in Remus's voice and at the way his eyes flashed to the gold of the wolf once more, ready to defend his Pack at all costs, "I hardly think you mean to imply that anyone in this room would consider anything inappropriate involving a minor?"

Molly cowered slightly, pressing into her husband a little bit at the way Remus was on his feet and looming over the table slightly as he came to Sirius's defence.

"Trust me, love," Sirius threw in coolly, "If I were fucking the little witch, she'd do things much more exciting than wear my old jersey, read books I've given her permission to access or absentmindedly fix me and Remus tea."

Everyone recoiled at his blunt acknowledgement of just what it was they were accusing him of.

"How can you say that?" Minerva snapped, "She is a child!"

"No, she really isn't," Remus bit out angrily, "She's a young woman. Albeit one still underage, but a young woman nonetheless. A capable young witch with enough sense to make her own decisions, form her own opinions and take responsibility for her own actions. One, I do not doubt, who would be extremely offended and angry with the lot of you for even considering to interrogate a friend of hers about anything relating to her."

They all paused in their fury at Remus's demeanour and frank manner of pointing out the truth. Hermione would be furious if she knew Sirius was being accused of seducing her. Not because he was Sirius Black either. No, she'd be furious that anyone would think she would be the one being seduced, rather than the one doing the seducing. Not that the others knew that of course. The little witch had them all so fooled that she was a perfect little princess who'd never do anything untoward.

"Nevertheless," McGonagall snapped, squaring her shoulders, "I am aware that her appearance is one strikingly similar to that of another brilliant young witch, but I will not tolerate you – either of you – projecting ideals, advances or inappropriate behaviour onto Hermione."

"Careful, Minnie," Sirius warned, his own eyes flashing to the yellow of his animal form at the allusion to Mimi. Remus bared his teeth and growled at her.

"Am I missing something?" Dora asked, looking alarmed and rather concerned.

Sirius rolled his eyes and glanced sideways at Remus.

"You need my help to explain things to her, Moony?" Sirius asked.

Remus shook his head.

"Right. Good then. You lot can all stick your ideas about me seducing teenagers up your arses and would do very well not to broach the subject with her, because while I might be currently resisting the urge to hex the lot of you, she might not be so accepting. I know you lot all like to think that she's a sweet, well-behaved little book-worm obsessed with the rules, but she's got you all so fooled, it's hilarious," Sirius told them all, "Now, I'm going to go see what my godson is having nightmares about and then I'm going to bed."

With that said and not another glance at any of them, Sirius threw back the last of his whiskey, got to his feet and stomped up the stairs to his bedroom where he found two of his three favourite people in the world curled up under the covers in his bed, whispering to one another and laughing.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hello everyone! Thanks ever so much for all the love and reviews you've been giving me. My muse struck again and here we are with another update earlier than the month I told you all it was likely going to be. Now, I should point out that this chapter concludes everything I had pre-written (it was only half-written up until today). The only other pre-written bits I have are a couple chapters when she goes back in time and a few when she and the Maraudres are in, like 4th year. So, alas, the wait between chapters is likely to increase. Sorry about that. If the muse strikes again in a timely fashion (likely since I can't seem to stop thinking about the Marauders lately) then there will be more. Since this is likely my last chapter update for Christmas, I hope you all have a safe and Happy Holiday season. Peace and love. xx-Kitten.**

* * *

 **Used To Be Mine**

 _By Kittenshift17_

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

* * *

 **15** **th** **August 1995**

 **Number 12 Grimmauld Place**

Hermione nibbled her lip as she crossed the back garden of Grimmauld Place to the spot by the fence out of view from the house where she knew she would likely find Harry, Sirius and Remus. Ron had been grumbling all day about never being able to find Harry, commenting to her that he thought Harry was pouting about something. Hermione suspected he was at the agro stage of the month with his mandrake leaf in his mouth – the one she'd been in until two days ago.

Now she felt playful, silly and a bit reckless. The leaf was still annoying to have in her mouth, and she'd nearly been caught just a few minutes ago when Molly had cornered her to quiz her on Sirius and Remus. Something Hermione had almost lost her temper about. The witch had all but implied that Sirius was seducing her, being inappropriate with her or potentially even forcing her to be intimate with him. If that hadn't been bad enough, Molly had gone on to say that Sirius ex-girlfriend – who Hermione assumed must be Mimi, his wife – had looked rather like Hermione herself and that she was concerned the older wizard was projecting his yearning for her onto Hermione.

The idea had upset her immensely because her own feeling for Sirius, and for Remus too, had been steadily growing stronger and more profound all summer. She fancied the pair of them, if she was being honest. And she felt wretched about it because she suspected that Remus was fated to be soulmates with Tonks. She liked the metamorphmagus too much to steal the man away, and she feared she might grow to resent the witch for the fact that a twist of fate meant she was entitled to the hunky werewolf and Hermione wasn't. The idea that Sirius might be being so nice and flirtatious with her because of some witch who'd died fifteen years ago bothered her and made her second-guess her own growing feelings.

That, and she'd been beyond annoyed with Molly for suggesting that she would let any wizard – not matter how charming, handsome or funny he might be – seduce her or sway her into something she wasn't comfortable with. She'd seen fit to inform Molly, rather coolly, that she was under no circumstance being pressured into anything she was uncomfortable with when it came to Remus, Sirius, Harry or anyone else for that matter. She'd also blurted out that _were_ she to be pursuing any kind of relationship with any wizard, it wouldn't be Molly's business anyway unless that wizard happened to be Molly's husband.

She'd fled the kitchen at the sight of Molly's gobsmacked expression and her rapidly reddening cheeks. She felt a bit bad for what she'd said, but also rather justified in her defence of herself. It was none of Molly's business who she dated, fancied, or shared intimate relations with. Not that she was dating or intimately relating to anyone. That wasn't the point. The point was that it was none of Molly's business what went on between her, Sirius, and Remus or anyone else for that matter. Not that anything was going on, of course, but if it did, it certainly wasn't Molly Weasley's concern.

Rounding the corner behind the fallen down greenhouse in the farthest corner of the back garden, Hermione peeked around the corner to see Sirius, Remus and Harry all sharing a pipe. She hated herself a little for the way her heart rate increased at the sight of the two handsome wizards, and she felt a bit silly for the urge she felt to scold her best friend as she watched him learning to blow smoke rings.

"Spying, love?" Sirius asked, slanting a look in her direction, clearly having heard her approach or heard her heart-beat kick into high gear.

"Could be," Hermione grinned wickedly in return, watching Harry hurriedly hand the pipe back to Sirius before realising it was just her.

"Blimey, Hermione!" Harry coughed on his exhalation, "Thought you were Mrs Weasley."

"Thanks very much," Hermione rolled her eyes at him, moving towards the three wizards where they leaned against the fence.

"Not a real respectful tone you've got there, Hermione," Remus chuckled, "Molly say something to upset you again?"

"Yes," Hermione sighed as she sat down on the grass beside Sirius and took the pipe from his hands, "She almost spotted my mandrake leaf just now when quizzing me on things that are none of her business."

"Asked you what's going on with us, eh?" Sirius smirked, "Thought she might when she caught the four of us having a lie in up in my bed this morning."

"She might as well have accused me of being some meek little victim of your debauchery and accused you – both of you – of pressuring me into things I wasn't comfortable with."

"What, seriously?" Harry asked coughing as Hermione put the end of the pipe in her mouth and puffed it the way her grandfather had taught her.

"Yeah," Hermione sighed, "As though the likes of this lot could make me do anything I didn't want to do?"

Hermione jerked her thumb at Remus and Sirius.

"That a challenge, love?" Sirius smirked, winking at her.

"Bite me, Sirius," Hermione retorted.

"Don't tempt me, witch," Sirius muttered, chuckling.

"It continues to amaze me that you have this other side, Hermione," Harry told her when Hermione puffed the pipe against before blowing a perfect smoke-ring, "I need to know more about this secret life that means you snog girls and smoke pipes and trade barbs with grown men rather than stammering like an idiot."

"Not very secret if you know all that, is it?" Hermione asked, passing the pipe over to Remus and listening to the werewolf with his purring-growl as he inhaled.

"What did you say to Molly?" Sirius asked, tugging gently on one of her curls.

"That I wasn't being pressured into anything with anyone and that if I were to be pursuing anything with anyone, it wouldn't be her business," Hermione replied and Remus choked on his inhalation and her bluntness.

"Bloody hell, witch," Sirius laughed loudly, "You're going to get us all in trouble, talking like that."

"I might've also implied that my relationships, physical or otherwise, were of no concern to her unless they involved her husband," Hermione admitted, blushing, "And I might've fled the kitchen before she could recover."

"You said what?" Harry choked, beginning to chortle and simultaneously look horrified, "Blimey, Hermione!"

"I didn't mean to. It just kind of blurted out because I got my wand in a knot over the entire thing and now I'll be uncomfortable around Molly until term begins and she'll be looking for signs that I'm hitting on Mr Weasley or something."

Sirius and Remus were both squirming with glee at her words, wriggling as they laughed long and loud at her words and her attitude.

"You don't actually fancy him, do you?" Harry asked, looking mildly concerned.

"Oh, don't be ridiculous Harry," Hermione rolled her eyes at her friend, "I think I require more of a wizard than unwavering kindness and such an unhealthy curiosity pertaining to muggles."

"I dunno, Hermione, you dated Krum and he didn't have that much going for him in the way of conversation skills or, you know, interests other than Quidditch and not being constantly in the spotlight."

"Spoken like a man who has never seen that wizard naked," Hermione retorted.

Harry snorted and looked at her in complete shock.

"You know what? I'm thinking there's a reason you have this life secret from us," Harry said, "If you talked like that in front of Ron, he'd have an aneurysm."

"Yes, I know," Hermione sighed, "It's all rather silly, really. I hardly think discussion of the human anatomy and the appeal of a fine male form is something to lose one's head about."

"Stop. Please just stop. I don't want to hear about Krum's 'fine male form', thanks very much," Harry rolled his eyes.

"Prude," Hermione accused him.

"Did you just call me a prude?" Harry demanded, his eyes widening behind his glasses, "You? The know-it-all book-worm who supposedly follows all the rules? The one who everything thinks is a pencil-neck virgin who's never even had a sexual thought, let alone a sexual experience."

"It's kind of cute when you blush like that, Harry," Hermione told her friend, taking the pipe from Remus where he and Sirius were still trying to get their laughter under control, losing it again the next time she spoke each time.

"Now you're putting the moves on me?" Harry asked, raising his eyebrows, "I think you've been cooped up in Grimmauld too long if you're hitting on me as a follow-up to the likes of famous Quidditch players like Krum."

Hermione smirked at him, "Oh, but haven't you read the papers Harry. You're not a follow-up, you're the second male-lead in my sordid tale of love, lust and debauchery. Next they'll be writing about me taking two blokes at once."

She caught the way both Sirius and Remus stopped laughing and looked over at her sharply for her words.

"Two blokes at once?" Harry asked, his eyes widening.

"You offering there, Potter?" Hermione taunted, "Viktor's quite fond of you. And he's European. He'd probably be up for it, if you're game? Should I owl him? Set something up?"

"Bloody hell, I can't even tell if you're joking," Harry admitted with a gulp, his eyes so wide they were in fear of falling right out of his head.

"About a threesome or about the supposed love triangle between you, Viktor and I being resolved through wild sex?" Hermione asked, having entirely too much fun tormenting the messy haired wizard.

"Stop," Harry begged when he snorted, "Just… this… whoever this Hermione is, she kind of scares me a bit."

"And yet here you are, asking to know more about the types of debauchery I involve myself in," Hermione chuckled, puffing the pipe again even as she leaned sideways to rest her head on Sirius's shoulder.

"I'm not so sure I want to know if you're inviting me into a threesome with you and Krum," Harry admitted, "For one, you're practically my sister. And for another, he's Viktor bloody Krum."

"I don't know why you say that, Harry," Hermione said, "You know he's just a regular person, same as you. You even play the same Quidditch position."

"Yeah, but I'm not that surly," Harry argued.

"He uses his tongue for far more entertaining endeavours than talking anyway," Hermione chuckled and Harry's jaw dropped.

"Bloody hell, Hermione!" Harry exclaimed, "I did _not_ need to know that!"

"Oh, as if you've never gone down on a bird?" Hermione scoffed, "Just because you didn't enjoy it the first time doesn't mean you shouldn't learn what you're doing to make sure you do better next time."

"Next she'll be offering to volunteer as your practice subject, Pup," Sirius nudged him.

"I don't do amateurs," Hermione retorted, "Sorry, Harry."

"Can I help it that I'm new at this?" Harry protested, chuckling.

"Really, Hermione?" Remus was chuckling, "That's how you turn down your best friend for sex?"

"Did you want me to make up some awkward excuse about us basically being siblings?" Hermione asked, raising one eyebrow, "That would make the occasional flirting session feel squicky."

"What about non-amateurs, 'Mione?" Sirius wanted to know, smirking at her.

Hermione titled her head on his shoulder to look up and meet his gaze. She grinned when she found him eyeing her hungrily. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach as she tried to determine if he was just poking fun at her or if he was serious in his interest.

"Are you offering?" she retorted.

"Ah, bloody hell," Harry muttered, taking the pipe and puffing on it heavily.

"Are you accepting?" Sirius countered.

Hermione pursed her lips for a moment, looking him over carefully.

"Depends on your level of expertise," she settled on as a way of answering without appearing too eager, or completely denying the request. His age comparative to hers was likely an issue for everyone else, possibly even for Sirius. Not so much for Hermione considering she would very much enjoy ravishing him, she imagined.

Sirius loosed a low husky laugh, "Only one way to gauge that, love."

"Oh, what did you do today, Harry?" Harry began in a mocking tone, "No, nothing really, just watched my best friend and my godfather eye-fuck each other. Nothing to be concerned over, right?"

"Consenting adults, Harry," Hermione waved off his obvious attempt to diffuse the sexual tension.

"You're not an adult yet, 'Mione. You haven't even turned sixteen," Harry reminded her, passing the pipe over to Sirius and watching him begin to puff on it.

"Technically my use of that time-turner in third year means I'm about three months off being seventeen, according to actual time lived," Hermione argued, "No matter when my birthday might happen to be."

Harry paled at the very idea.

"Well that's… alarming," he admitted, "I already feel like you're more mature than me most of the time."

"I am more mature than you Harry," Hermione smirked, tearing her eyes off Sirius when she recalled that Molly's words about Sirius probably only taking a shine to her because she reminded her of his wife.

She smirked at Harry, leaning towards him, having to lean across Remus to reach Harry before she ruffled his hair and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"Ickle Harry, all nervous talking about sex and jittery of being caught smoking," she teased, trying really hard not to think too closely on the fact that Remus felt warm and firm and wonderful against her as she leaned across him to taunt Harry.

"Don't start that," Harry grumbled, shoving her hand away even though he grinned a little bit, "I'm not jittery and I'm not immature."

"Awwww," Hermione giggled, ruffling his hair again and making it all the messier.

"If you keep that up, I'll prove it by kissing you again," Harry warned her.

"The horror!" Hermione pretended to recoil in shock before rolling her eyes.

Harry opened his mouth to reply but before he could say anything, Remus ducked his head to where Hermione's shoulder was on display thanks to her spaghetti-strap summer dress. Hermione's breath caught in her throat and heat rushed to the place below her abdomen when Remus nosed aside her hair and skimmed his lips across her skin. When he opened his mouth and suddenly closed his teeth gently around the flesh where her neck and shoulder met, Hermione quivered and her eyes closed involuntarily.

She felt Sirius smooth a hand over her bare thigh while she held perfectly still in Remus's hold, the werewolf's arms coming up to hold her lightly in place while he nibbled on her. Another of those low growling-purrs he tended to emit when he was smoking rumbled from inside his chest and Hermione feared she was going to leave a puddle right there amongst the weeds.

"Everything alright, Remus?" Harry asked softly, sounding rather concerned and maybe just the tiniest bit awed.

Hermione's eyelids fluttered open to meet the emerald orbs of her best friend, finding him watching the exchange with curiosity, concern and maybe just the tiniest bit of lust.

"Moony?" Sirius asked quietly, and Hermine felt him smooth his hand over her hips before brushing Remus's arm.

The feel of Remus's tongue on her skin drew a very soft moan from Hermione's lips, soft enough that she doubted Harry would hear it, but knew both Remus and Sirius, with their canine hearing, would pick up on it.

"You smell…" Remus murmured, releasing her after giving her another soft nip and turning her body in his hold slightly until he could meet her gaze. Lupine gold and moss green marbled his irises as he stared at her.

"Bad?" Hermione whispered, concerned.

"Like Pack," he shook his head slowly from side to side, "Every day you're smelling more and more like Pack."

"Is that a… good thing?" Hermione asked, very much aware of how husky and breathless she sounded.

Remus nodded his head.

"You've passed the aggressive stage of your transformation too," her murmured, "I can smell your inner animal unlocking…. It's canine."

Hermione raised her eyebrows.

"Really?" she asked excitedly.

"Mmmm," Remus nodded.

Hermione could tell his wolf was at least partially in control when he moved his hand to cup her chin before tilting her head back. He ducked his head to her throat then and Hermione whined low in her throat, a very canine sound leaving her as he suddenly dragged his tongue from her clavicle to her chin. Goosebumps prickled the hairs on her arms and Hermione feared she might swoon at the hot feeling that rushed through her. Especially when Sirius slid his hand far enough up her bare thigh that she had to fight not to beg him to move it just a bit higher and touch her sinfully.

"Bloody hell," Harry muttered and Hermione slanted a hooded gaze in her best friend's direction.

She didn't know if she should laugh or be mortified when she spotted Harry puffing heavily on the pipe he clutched, squirming slightly where he sat and suddenly seeming to find his jeans a bit restrictive in places.

"Pads," Remus murmured, his free hand leaving Hermione's waist to reach for the Animagus.

Hermione moaned a second time, collapsing against Remus's chest when Sirius moulded his body around hers, leaning close enough that Remus could sink his teeth into Sirius's shoulder as he so often did. Harry was watching the entire exchange this time and Hermione watched him try to rearrange his jeans again before giving up and reaching toward Hermione slowly. It was almost as though a sexual energy had sparked through the four of them the minute Remus had nipped her and Hermione found herself stretching towards Harry in return.

He looked confused and aroused at the same time and Hermione didn't even think about it as she shifted slightly against Remus's chest, reaching up and pressing her lips to Harry's. His lips were soft and uncertain against hers until Hermione flicked her tongue out slowly to trace the seam of his lips. A low groan escaped her bespectacled best friend as he opened to her, his tongue gliding against hers hotly. Hermione kissed him back enthusiastically, sprawled across Remus's lap. Sirius's hand climbed higher on her thigh, and Hermione found herself reaching for it blindly, taking hold of it and sliding it even higher until he cupped her mound in his palm.

Harry swallowed the moan Hermione emitted at the contact and she felt more than heard another of Remus's happy growl-purrs when it rumbled inside his chest.

"Fuck," Sirius muttered softly and Hermione felt the Animagus curl around her body even tighter, leaning into Remus even more as the werewolf withdrew his teeth from Sirius's shoulder.

He shifted beneath Hermione, twisting towards Harry while Hermione snogged him. Harry's hands tangled into her hair, the pipe forgotten as he kissed her. Hermione felt a warmth and desire crackle through her when Sirius rhythmically pressed his fingers against her clit through the fabric of her knickers while Remus's hands slid around her waist and jostled her slightly on his lap, giving him enough room to lean around her.

Harry cried out softly when Remus nosed aside the neckline of his shirt and sank his teeth into the top of his shoulder. Harry kissed her harder then, fisting Hermione's curls and snogging her desperately. Hermione could literally feel the magic pouring through him from Remus's bite. She could feel it in the hand Sirius was working to get inside her knickers and in the hard bulge of Remus's erection against her hip, in Sirius's matching erection pressed intimately against the curve of her bottom. The sexual energy running through the four of them, Hermione realised, stemmed from not only a strengthening of Pack magic, but was zinging with the feel of sex magic, linking the four of them together as a Pack even though Remus hadn't bitten her.

Hermione squirmed with delight and moaned into Harry's mouth when Sirius's fingers slid beneath her knickers, pushing the fabric to one side before spearing his fingers through the wetness Hermione knew he would find there. He groaned softly and Hermione could feel the way he leaned into Remus, the sucking sound she heard making her think he was giving the werewolf a lovebite in return.

Her whole body felt like it was on fire, alive with sensation as Sirius slowly dipped first one, then two fingers into her tight heat, a soft hum of appreciation leaving him as he felt how wet she was and felt the way she rocked against his fingers eagerly. He worked her over skilfully; urgently; his fingers pumping in in and out of her. From the way Remus was shifting under her slightly, still biting Harry, Hermione suspected Remus might be craving friction too and she didn't even think about it, swept up in the magic as she was, before burrowing her hand between their bodies until she could rub her hand against the hot hard bulge inside his trousers.

Harry kissed her even harder, his lips bruising against hers when Remus growled, low and husky, in the back of his throat before adjusting the hold of his teeth on Harry's shoulder. Racing up the precipice with Sirius's fingers working inside her so hotly, Hermione pulled back from Harry's lips when a wave of pleasure suddenly crashed over her, orgasm slamming into her unexpectedly. Even as it hit, she heard Harry gasp and felt both Remus and Sirius jerk against her. Dimly, through the fog induced by the orgasm, she realised the three of them had all just come along with her.

"Fuck," Remus muttered breathlessly, withdrawing his fangs from Harry's shoulder and reaching for the back of Harry's neck. Hermione watched through half lidded eyes when Harry turned slightly, his gaze similarly content as Remus tipped his chin up before lowering his lips and snogging Harry soundly on the lips.

She hummed in her throat in approval, warmth and pleasure awash inside of her as Harry made no attempt to pull away or protest. Twisting on Remus's lap until she was sitting directly on him, Hermione reached for Sirius. She'd never imagined that kissing him would happen like this, but he leaned towards her eagerly, his lips slanting over hers and kissing her so tenderly, Hermione felt tears prickle behind her closed lids. His tongue sought entry to the hot cavern of her mouth and Hermione granted it, her whole body quivering with delight when he proceeded to kiss her sweetly, his tongue massaging hers, his hand still inside her knickers and softly drawing circles upon her tingling clit.

She didn't know how long she snogged him before Remus's hand slid around the back of her neck, gently pulling her lips from Sirius's. Her heart was racing inside her chest and her whole body felt like it had melted into a quivering pile of gooey stickiness when Remus's tipped her head before he kissed her as well. The kiss was careful and slow, his tongue and his wild, wolfy taste titillating her senses as she sat in his lap. Dimly, she was aware of Sirius leaning around her as she pressed herself wantonly to Remus, his arm looping around the back of Harry's neck.

She heard the soft sound of something akin to a whimper emit from Sirius as he pulled Harry to him and kissed him too. As the high of her orgasm slowly ebbed, Hermione found her fingers tangling into Remus's sandy hair. She kissed him lazily before pulling away slowly and laying her head upon his chest, her breath uneven and her heart beating manically. She felt Harry curl into Remus's side behind her, his arm smoothing around her waist as he cuddled closer, similarly breathing heavy.

Hermione watched, her eyelids drooping as Remus turned his head and met Sirius in a kiss that made her body think about coming all over again. They snogged with ease, practiced and experienced, obviously not strangers to the feel of one another's lips, teeth and tongues. The sight of them snogging each other so familiarly, so earnestly, made a part of her ache deep inside her chest and Hermione realised that there was more to the two of them and their sexual intimacy that simply that born of the bond brought about through Pack Magic like they'd all just made.

When they broke apart, they were both breathing heavily and Hermione felt Sirius slide his fingers from her knickers. She watched, her stomach flipping and he brought one of his fingers, slick with her juices, to his mouth. He groaned softly, his eyes fluttering closed as he licked the digit clean. He brought the second one up, offering it to Remus and Hermione thought she might die of need and arousal when Remus suckled Sirius's finger into his mouth, growl-purring at the taste of her juices on his tongue.

Hermione sighed contentedly when Sirius took his hand back, laying his head on Remus's shoulder while Remus dropped his lips to press a kiss to the top of Hermione's head. Harry was snuggled up against Hermione's back, curled into Remus's side the same as Sirius, his head on Remus's shoulder and Remus wrapped an arm around each wizard while they both curled their arms around Hermione in Remus's lap. The hum of the magic between the four of them made her eyes close and Hermione wondered if it would be alright to sleep right there.

There was something about the interaction that shut off her mind completely, overpowering her need to think, to analyse, to worry about the fact that she'd just snogged Harry and Remus and Sirius.

She didn't know how long the four of them sat there that way, curled together and surrounded by the magic of belonging to a pack, the utter sense of connection and closeness overwhelming everything else. Eventually, however, the magic dimmed enough that thought was suddenly possible and she wasn't the only one who heard the shuddering gasp of breath that Harry drew.

"You alright, Pup?" Sirius asked quietly.

"I just…" Harry muttered, "I… shit."

Hermione stifled the strangest urge she felt to giggle.

"You… and I and…" he started to stammer pulling back from the three of them and Hermione twisted around in Remus's lap to look at him.

Harry's cheeks were crimson and he was trying desperately to hide the wet spot on the front of his jeans where he'd come inside them.

"It's alright, Harry," Hermione told him softly, smiling at him gently.

"I kissed you," he whispered back, his eyes wide and worried, "I snogged you hard… I snogged Remus and Padfoot. I… in my…."

This time, Hermione did giggle just the tiniest bit.

"You weren't the only one, Pup," Sirius told him, leaning forward far enough to prop his chin on Hermione's shoulder so he could stare at Harry too, "Me and Moony came in our pants too, mate. So did Hermione."

"I…" Harry's cheeks darkened even more.

"It's alright, Harry," Remus soothed, reaching a hand towards Harry reassuringly.

Hermione caught the way Harry eyed Remus's hand for a moment, torn between the urge to pull away from them as his mind panicked, and obviously feeling the urge to lean into the touch of the Alpha of his pack.

"It's the effect of the Pack bond," Remus explained to him gently, "When I bit you just now, it triggered the magic. The bond is always sealed this way whenever anyone is added to the Pack. For a long time now it's just been me and Sirius, but now it includes you too."

"Did you do this to Hermione when she became part of the pack?" Harry asked leaning forwards far enough the Remus's hand could tangle into the hair at the nape of his neck, "She doesn't have a bite mark…. You bit me…."

"I did bite you," Remus nodded, "I bite Sirius all the time. It's part of being in a pack. The bite is the entry point for the magic linking us all together. Hermione doesn't have one yet because Hermione's somehow tapping into the Pack magic without being bitten just yet."

"Is that… I… I'm so confused," Harry admitted, "I mean I don't like blokes… do I?"

Sirius chuckled at his obvious doubt over the idea given that he'd just snogged two blokes.

"That's up to you to work out, Pup," Sirius told him, "But the Pack magic does have the effect of making you not care, one way or the other about gender and sexual preference. It's about linking every member through the intimate acts that give power to the sex magic that strengthens the bond. Even if you decide you don't fancy blokes, you'll get hard and enjoy the touch of a packmate, no matter their gender."

"Is that why you two are so… close?" Harry asked, looking utterly bewildered.

Remus and Sirius smirked at the same time.

"Yes and no," Remus admitted, "Sirius and I… well, we don't go in for other blokes, but…"

"But you fancy one another more than the pack bond makes you?" Harry confirmed.

Remus nodded his head. Harry looked a little stunned.

"Did… did my Dad know about you two?" he asked, frowning.

Sirius laughed.

"Given the number of times he walked in on us fucking each other and fucking the witch we loved, I'd reckon so, mate," he chuckled.

"He… was he part of the pack like this?" Harry asked, indicating to the bloodied bite wound on his shoulder.

Remus pulled Harry a little closer as he nodded.

"He and you Mum both were," Remus nodded his head, "Prongs was bitten into it the summer before sixth year and Lily midway through seventh year when she and you Dad got together. We had to get her a bit drunk before she'd stop giggling and getting jealous over the idea of your Dad shagging 'Mi, but after that, everything was sweet."

"'Mi?" Harry asked, his eyes darting to Hermione and then between Sirius and Remus.

"Mimi," Sirius told him softly, "She was our witch."

"Our? As in you… shared her?" Harry frowned, glancing at Hermione again.

"Triads aren't that common anymore in the wizarding world, but they're not unheard of," Remus told him softly, "Usually you don't see that type of arrangement outside of twins sharing a witch, but they aren't traditional because they generally don't fuck each other."

"You two fuck each other?" Harry asked.

"All the time," Sirius nodded.

"And you fucked her too? Mimi?" Harry asked.

"Every day," Remus nodded.

"At the same time?" Harry whispered, his brow furrowing.

"Not always," Sirius shrugged, "But most of the time, yeah."

Harry looked stumped and Hermione could tell he was trying to wrap his head around the idea.

"But… how?" he asked, "Where would you both…"

Remus began to laugh and Sirius was grinning in amusement.

"You realise that women have three orifices that can withstand penile penetration, right Harry?" Hermione asked her best friend softly.

"But… oh!" Harry's cheeks blushed crimson as he met her gaze, obviously startled.

Hermione giggled along with Sirius and Remus at Harry's sudden understanding and his embarrassment over the very idea of such things.

"Um…. Wouldn't…. didn't you get jealous if one of you was shagging her and not the other?" Harry asked, clearly trying to figure it all out.

"In the beginning," Remus nodded, "But it's not really like… Pads, how did you explain it?"

Hermione glanced at Sirius, wondering the same thing herself.

"When you love two people at the same time, do you begrudge them for also loving each other as much as they love you in return?" Sirius asked quietly, "There was nothing to be jealous over if I walked into our bedroom and found Moony and Mimi fucking because I knew I could join in whenever I wanted, and I knew they loved me as much as they loved each other. Like, if you walk in and find Ron and Hermione laughing together, do you ever feel jealous that they're having a good time together?"

Harry looked thoughtful.

"Sometimes. If I know I've been a jerk to either of them," Harry admitted, "Or if it feels like I'm being excluded."

Sirius and Remus looked at each other.

"Hermione, do you understand what we're saying?" Remus asked, "Can you describe it better?"

"Erm… maybe," Hermione said thoughtfully, "I imagine it would be something along the lines of…. Well…. Oh, that's a bad example but it's the best I've got. If I wander into the living room and home and find my Mum and Dad cuddled up together watching a movie, I don't feel jealous or like they don't love me. I feel happy because I know they're happy and I know that if I snuggle over next to them, they'll wrap me in their love too."

"It's the same concept," Sirius nodded, "Only with people you're shagging. I loved Mimi. I love Remus. I know they both loved me in return and that they loved each other as much as they loved me and as much as I loved them. You don't feel jealous because you're too busy being happy that they're happy together and with you."

Harry frowned.

"I don't know if I could do that," Harry admitted.

"You don't have to, Pup. Most people can't do it. It's pretty rare to be able to eliminate jealousy from that kind of situation and monogamy is usually the way to avoid it. But how do you be monogamous when you love them both and desire them both?" Sirius asked.

Harry nodded, looking thoughtful.

"How does… did you feel jealous when my Mum and Dad were bitten into the Pack and sealed the magic?" Harry asked.

"Oh, hell yeah," Sirius began to laugh, "That got a bit out of hand. Like you saw here, the urge at the time is for closeness and acceptance of every member of the Pack equally. But afterwards, when I was looking at my girl sprawled across Prongs and Lils curled into Moony's side, I was ready to pummel the pair of them. You should've seen Prongs's face when he realised the things we'd all done, meaning the things me, Moony and Mimi had all done to Lily. He nearly took my head off."

Harry began to laugh.

"So, does this mean that every time you include someone new to the pack, we're all going to snog again?" Harry asked, looking uncomfortable.

"Yeah, it does," Remus admitted, looking a little sheepish, "Though beyond biting Hermione into the Pack, it's unlikely anyone else will be added."

"How does it work with things like… well, James and Lily were obviously part of the Pack. And now Harry is… if they were still alive wouldn't that be…" Hermione trailed off.

All three wizards pulled a face of disgust at the idea of the incestuous mess that might unfold in such a scenario.

"If Prongs and Lily were still alive, Harry wouldn't need to be bitten in," Remus assured her, "Being of the bloodlines of Pack member automatically makes you Pack. Harry's been Pack since he was born, but because James and Lily died, the bond weakens over time and eventually has to be renewed."

Hermione nodded her head, glancing over at Harry and finding him frowned at his lap, his fingers pulling against the damp spot on the front of his jeans.

"Maybe a cleaning charm?" Hermione whispered to Remus, nodding towards Harry.

"Right," Remus muttered, frowning slightly as he shifted her on his lap and pulled his wand form his pocket.

He aimed it at Harry before flicking it at Sirius and then himself.

"Thanks," Harry muttered, his cheeks flaming once more.

"I know it's hard not to be embarrassed and confused right now, Pup," Remus told him gently, "But it'll make more sense the longer the bond has to solidify. We're not just going to grab you and snog you whenever the urge arises."

"I wasn't…." Harry frowned, "I um…. Well, I just…."

"You're confused because you don't like blokes but you liked snogging us," Sirius told him knowingly.

Harry looked up and met his gaze for a minute before looking down again.

"I'd claim that I'm just a good enough snogger to turn even straight men gay," Sirius laughed, "But you'd probably wallop me."

Indeed, Harry made to smack him.

"It's the pack magic, Harry," Remus assured him, "I'd offer to show you that you're not into blokes by snogging you again, but the bond might still make you feel things. If you're really worried about it, snog another bloke – not me or Sirius – and find out for yourself if you swing that way."

"I… do you both swing that way? Outside of each other, I mean?" Harry asked.

"No," Remus admitted, "Only bloke I like snogging is that pain in the butt."

He jerked his thumb at Sirius.

"Sirius?" Harry asked of the Animagus.

"Only bloke I snog these days is Moony," Sirius admitted, "Hell, only bloke I've snogged in the past twenty years has been Moony. Told you that Prongs was my first snog. Might've experimented a bit before Mimi came along and lured me into a triad with Moony."

"Didn't like it much, though, did you?" Remus smirked at him.

"Not really," Sirius wrinkled his nose, "Not enough primal drive in any of those tossers for me."

Remus rolled his eyes and Harry blushed crimson.

"So you two are dating?" Harry asked, "I thought you fancied Tonks, Remus?"

Hermione could almost feel the tension spike at the mention of the metamorphmagus.

"Tonks is…."

"She's his soulmate," Sirius told them, rolling his eyes when Remus trailed off with a growl, "Being a werewolf means you get a soulmate somewhere out there in the world, just waiting to be stumbled across. They're fated."

"Then why aren't you together with her?" Harry asked, obviously confused.

"Fuck fate," Remus muttered, "Tonks is too… she's just not what I look for. She's not Sirius either, and I hardly think she'd be thrilled to have me fucking her cousin, now would she?"

"You two shag too?" Harry asked, startled now.

"Keep it quiet, Pup," Sirius sighed, "Not a lot of people know how things went down with me and Mimi and Remus before Mimi disappeared. They get a bit funny about it all and they don't like having it stuffed in their faces that we're still a thing."

"But you slept with Tonks," Hermione said, frowning as she looked up at Remus, "She told me about it."

Remus growled again, looking annoyed.

"Unfortunately, fighting fate isn't exactly easy, love," Remus admitted, "I lost it at the blood moo, fucked her and nearly marked her. But I don't want to be with her."

"She's the Alpha female of the pack," Hermione argued.

"Not if I don't bite her and don't mark her as my mate," Remus argued stubbornly.

"Why are you fighting against being with her? You're fated!" Hermione protested, "She really fancies you, Remus. And obviously it's a bit more complicated than that you think she's too young or that you being a werewolf will have bearing on it all."

"Obviously," Remus retorted, narrowing his eyes on her slightly, "Fated or not, I don't want her, 'Mione. I want Sirius and I want…."

He looked away, clenching his jaw and growling loudly.

"Easy, Moony," Sirius murmured, leaning over and offering his neck to Remus again.

Remus lunged into his neck, jostling Hermione on his lap enough that Hermione crawled off him and into Harry's lap instead, noting that he seemed torn between wanting to cuddle her and be close with her, and also wanting to push her off in his confusion over their snog earlier.

From the house, Molly could be heard calling them all into lunch and Hermione sighed, when Remus jerked slightly, still growling. Sirius ran his hands through Remus's hair and Hermione felt the strangest urge to comfort him too, to offer some kind of apology for saying something to upset him. She sighed as she turned her face away instead, burrowing under Harry's chin and into his chest.

"You alright, 'Mione?" Harry asked her softly, one of his hands coming up to stroke down her back.

"Fine," Hermione muttered, "I just don't want to go inside and face Mrs Weasley again so soon after what I said to her."

Harry began to chuckle at her words.

"So much for the argument that there's nothing going on with you, Padfoot and Moony, eh?" he chuckled.

"Like you can talk," Hermione retorted.

Harry squirmed slightly at her words.

"Yeah, well, I wouldn't be surprised if she tries to quiz me next," Harry mumbled, "Ron's going to be in a strop too because he's inside and we've all been out here."

"He was in a strop about it earlier. He started grumbling and stomped off up to your room and polish his new broom or something," Hermione admitted.

"Where's Ginny, do you know?" Harry asked her.

"No idea. She's been spending a lot of time with Fred and George and by herself, to be honest. She's still in the aggressive stage with her leaf too, so she's stroppy," Hermione admitted.

Harry nodded, smoothing his hand up and down her back as Hermione cuddled into his chest.

"Are we okay?" Harry asked her, lowering his head to rest his chin on the top of her head.

Hermione giggled, "I'm hardly going to be upset about a bit of snogging, Harry. Are you alright?"

"I… confused," Harry admitted with a shrug, "I just snogged my godfather."

Hermione giggled.

"And your DADA professor," Hermione pointed out.

"Oh, way to rub it in. You snogged them too," Harry muttered.

"I did," she agreed, "It was nice."

"Nice? That's all you have to say? You snog me and them, and your assessment of it all was 'nice'?"

"Were you hoping I'd stroke your ego and tell you that you're a brilliant snogger?" Hermione challenged without lifting her head.

"A bit of reassurance than I'm not rubbish would be nice, actually, and I know you're the only person unlikely to lie to me about it," Harry admitted quietly.

Hermione laughed.

"You do pretty well for yourself," she informed him.

"For an amateur," Sirius threw in, winking at Hermione as he got to his feet before offering Remus a hand up.

"Amateur this, Padfoot," Harry flipped his godfather off.

"I'm not above spanking you if you get lippy with me, pup," Sirius warned playfully, lifting Hermione from Harry's lap and standing her of her feet before reaching for Harry too.

"Look mate, what you and Moony do in private," Harry began to tease, smirking at Sirius.

"Why you little…" Sirius laughed when Harry took off running, Sirius on his tail in a heartbeat.

She shook her head fondly as he watched them both round the garden shed and disappear, calling insults and laughing as they taunted each other.

"Are you alright, Hermione?" Remus asked her softly, his eyes fixed upon her curiously, the green shot through with the gold of the wolf.

Hermione looked up at him and smiled.

"I'm wonderful," she admitted truthfully, feeling rather like she could walk on water, high from the magic the four of them had made together.

"I didn't scare you?" he asked, his brow furrowing slightly.

"I don't think you could ever scare me, Remus," she told him softly, feeling the strangest urge to cuddle him.

She gave in to the urge, stepping closer to him and wrapping her arms around his waist.

"I feel safe with you," she whispered when he brought his arms up around her to cuddle her in return, "Like nothing and no one can hurt me if I'm with you because if they do, you'll rip them apart."

The purring-growl he emitted this time was soft, humming gently inside his chest beneath her ear. He stooped slightly and Hermione felt a strange pulse of acceptance and happiness wash through her when his tongue darted out, licking directly between her eyebrows.

"Tell me something, Hermione?" Remus said, laying his cheek against the top of her head.

"Hmmm?" she asked.

"Are you attracted to Sirius and me?" he asked in a low voice.

Hermione's stomach flipped over and her heart began to race. She knew he'd likely been able to smell her attraction; that he'd probably be able to smell if she lied to him about it.

"Yes," she admitted, her cheeks crimson, "But I'm also painfully aware that you have a soulmate who happens to be a very good friend of mine, and that any interest Sirius shows in me is likely a by-product of the fact that I, apparently, look like Mimi."

"Molly's been burrowing into your head, then," Remus growled softly, "I thought she might. You do look like Mimi, you know. Identical to her, in fact."

Hermione frowned.

"There's probably something you should know…" Remus murmured, "You…. Well, you look like her because you… you are her, Hermione."

Hermione's heart stopped inside her chest and she pulled back in Remus's hold, frowning at him in confusion.

"I don't understand," she admitted, trying to make sense of what he'd said.

Remus's mouth twisted slightly and his eyes were haunted when he whispered two little words that rocked her world completely off its axis.

"Time travel."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I'm so sorry about the long wait, everyone. I hope you like this chapter. I'm trying to get back into the habit of updating more frequently, so fingers crossed, ok?**

 **Much love! xx-Kitten**

* * *

 **Used To Be Mine**

 _By Kittenshift17_

* * *

 **Chapter 8**

* * *

 **15** **th** **August, 1995**

 **The Back Garden, 12 Grimmauld Place, London**

Those two little words echoed in her ears and Hermione blinked stupidly for a moment, trying to put together what Remus was attempting to tell her.

"Time travel?" she frowned. "Remus, I don't understand. Time-Turners don't allow anyone to travel back that far in time. For me to have Time-Travelled to the time when you and Sirius were teenagers, I'd have had to travelled back more than twenty years. Anything more than 24 hours is extremely dangerous."

Remus shrugged his shoulders at her.

"I know that," he said quietly, glancing toward the house once more when Molly called them to lunch again. "Look, I'm not even sure I should be telling you this, but this mess of you registering as part of the Pack without being bitten is confusing me more than it should."

"You're saying that I somehow did time-travel or will time-travel to the past and will meet you and Sirius there?" Hermione frowned at him.

"I'm not saying you _will_ ," he shook his head. "You don't have your Time-Turner anymore, do you?"

Hermione shook her head. She'd been forced to give it back to the Ministry after her third year when she stopped taking so many subjects.

"Then the loop _was_ broken," Remus murmured, his brow furrowing. "Listen, all I know is that when Sirius, James and I were in our third year, a little witch appeared at Hogwarts mid-way through the year. She had wild curly brown hair, a bossy attitude and she said her name was Hermione. That girl was the one Sirius refers to as Mimi. That was the girl he married and the girl we both loved."

"I don't understand," Hermione shook her head. "If I time-travelled in third year to become Mimi… which I had to have done if you and Sirius remember meeting her – me – Mimi? I don't even know. The point is, time works in loops, Remus. If I had done so, I wouldn't be here now. And had I done so, knowing even what I knew of James and Lily's fate in my third year, I very much doubt I'd have let them die. I'm certain that I'd also have disappeared when I was born to my muggle parents in 1979."

Remus's lips twisted sadly.

"That's why I believe the loop was broken. Whatever Mimi did before she disappeared – and Sirius and I believe that Mimi was kidnapped by Peter and held prisoner somewhere – must've broken that loop, because you didn't travel back in your third year."

"But if I didn't, you and Sirius wouldn't remember meeting me," Hermione argued.

"That's what I thought, too. Honestly, when I met you in your third year as your teacher, I nearly had a heart attack. For a short while I believed that maybe Mimi had disappeared, pregnant, and that you might've been her daughter – potentially _my_ daughter. But then I saw you using that Time-Turner and realised you had to be the same girl. You smell the same. You always have."

"But if I didn't travel this time, how can you remember? Breaking loops is practically impossible, Remus."

"I know that. Look, I'm not saying I know how she did it. All I know is that the girl me and Sirius have been hung up on for twenty-five years smells like you and looks like you. If Mimi broke the loop, then you wouldn't be forced to travel back in third year, which you haven't done. But _she_ did, and then she broke the loop that would cause her to do so at all."

"But she can't have done if I didn't, Remus, that's the idea. It's a variation on the Grandfather Paradox. The idea being that if a person goes back in time and changes things, they run the risk of never being at that point in order to time-travel to begin with. Essentially, if I were to time-travel in third year, nothing I changed in the past up until that moment would prevent me from doing so, because if I did change them, I wouldn't have gone back at all. Do you understand? You can't travel to the past and kill your grandfather because if you do, you risk not existing, and if you don't exist, you can't travel back and kill him to begin with."

"I know that, Hermione. Believe me, I spent an inordinate amount of time researching theories surrounding time-travel after Mimi told me the truth of where she'd come from. I know about the paradoxes. I know about the Novikov Principle. I know about general relativity. I know about the Butterfly effect," Remus told her. "But if Mimi didn't break the loop, explain to me how she lived in my time well beyond _your_ birthday. Believe me, it's not because you were different people."

"I…" Hermione opened her mouth before her brow furrowed. It wasn't supposed to be possible. The _only_ explanation that kept to all the theories of Time-travel said that one could not live in the past beyond one's own birth date. It was a weird rule. You could time-travel up to forty-nine times per day, repeating seven hours, seven times over, if you wished. But you weren't supposed to travel back more than twenty-four hours in a single turn. In past experiments by Unspeakables, before the Laws of Time-Travel had been drafted, they had found that every time anyone travelled back before their own birthdate, they could flit around amending things as long as they didn't interact with their own families, and they _always_ disappeared when they were born. Similarly, if they time-travelled to even one second after their own birth, they could spend every hour up until their moment of time travel without disappearing, as long as they stayed away from their own past self. Interacting too closely with themselves created a paradox and could literally rip the fabric of time and rip apart the time-traveller.

Birth was one of those miracles of nature that could _be_ timed, but could not be altered _by_ time – at least, not by a time-traveller. To travel back, one must live every moment up until that point when travel began. Rather, the birth could be altered, but if it was altered, everything changed. Like the Butterfly effect, if a person travelled back before their own birth and changed things too much, they risked altering their own conception or their own birth and thus, disappeared at the moment they ought to have been conceived because they no longer would be conceived and thus, no longer would exist. Only, if they weren't conceived, they couldn't alter anything, and thus they disappeared to _be_ conceived.

The theory had boggled her mind for a good long while and she understood entirely why the Ministry dictated the Laws of Time-Travel.

"That's impossible, Remus. When did Mimi disappear?"

"May 14th, 1980," he replied. "But she didn't just vanish in the way people who've time-travelled do when they're born. She was kidnapped and held prisoner by Wormtail, who – we assume – refused to return to the hideout where he had her held. Sirius and I believe that eventually she'd have died of dehydration or starvation; whichever came first. She outlived your September 19th birthday in 1979 by almost nine months that we know of. If Womrtail's taunts are to be believed, she was still alive and still his prisoner right up until the beginning of November in 1981 when Sirius was arrested and Peter fled."

"Then she can't have been me, Remus," Hermione shook her head. "Births are fixed points in time. They can't be altered. Not by one's own time-travelling self, anyway. I mean, _I_ could travel back far enough to prevent Harry's conception, and he would never be born. _That_ is possible. But a time-traveller cannot alter their _own_ birth date and cannot outlive a point in the past beyond their birthdate. The birth creates a paradox, no matter where the person is in the world at that time, and thus, Nature, Magic or Science works to correct the mistake of there being two of the same soul at the same time. Regular time-travel _after_ birth allows two at the same time because the Powers That Be aren't paying attention to that soul anymore. But at birth, they are. Hence, the disappearance. If I was Mimi, I'd have disappeared at the time of my own birth."

"You're going to make me _prove_ that you're Mimi, aren't you?" Remus sighed, eyeing her carefully.

"Can you?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Hermione! Remus! Lunch is ready!" Molly shouted from the house again, hurrying into the garden in search of them.

"I'll have to do so later, apparently," Remus grumbled, looking annoyed. "Listen, Hermione. I know you don't want to believe me, and you need proof, but don't discuss this in front of Harry, alright? Or in front of anyone. Sirius gets very emotional about it, too. So I'd appreciate it if you only spoke to me about it."

Hermione nodded. Time-travel was a very sensitive topic to begin with. Discussing the notion that she might've travelled and lived an entire lifetime with Sirius and Remus in the past was surely a subject to be avoided outside of extremely private discussion.

They walked to lunch together in silence, Remus shooting her one final glance that seemed to be caught between worry, determination and a yearning for something he didn't believe he could ever have; or ever have again.

~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~

 **29** **th** **August, 1995**

 **Number 12 Grimmauld Place, London**

Hermione Granger was tucked away in her bedroom and enjoying the peace of having Grimmauld Place to herself. With the return to Hogwarts just days away, everyone had shipped off to the Burrow for the night, Molly insisting that the twins, Ron, and Ginny would need to gather any last minute things from there before returning to school. Harry had tagged along with them, thrilled over the idea of playing Quidditch at the Burrow and being out in the open rather than cooped up and going batty in this dilapidated house.

Hermione herself had been planning on going with them, but with Ron right in the middle of his aggressive stage with his Mandrake Leaf, the git had said something that morning to set her off and put her in a foul mood. Molly had, of course, tried to insist that Hermione would have to come with them; that she surely couldn't be left home alone without adult supervision. However, when Ron had been positively rude to her, Hermione had put her foot down and completely refused, going so far as locking herself in her room and refusing to come out.

Remus had found a temporary job in Diagon Alley to better gain information about the goings on with Voldemort, and Sirius had been dragged off to the Burrow with the others, Molly apparently not trusting him to remain at Grimmauld Place with only Hermione. This, despite her claims that Hermione needed adult supervision. The woman was paranoid. Hermione had rolled her eyes at that, too. She understood Molly's concerns; she really did. They there just unfounded, unnecessary and downright annoying, if she was being honest. Were Sirius to take advantage of her, Hermione was hardly going to object.

She couldn't stop thinking about what Remus had told her the day he'd bitten Harry and instigated the Pack Magic with him. Time-travel. She was supposed to have been a time-traveller. According to Remus she was meant to have returned to his and Sirius's third year after a mishap with the time-turner she'd been using in her own third year. Remus believed, based on the fact that she hadn't and, therefore, that the ordinary loop of time that _ought_ to have occurred to line up with his own memories, hadn't happened, that whatever she had done as Mimi meant that something had drastically changed and broken the loop – or fixed whatever caused it in the first place.

He had yet to find an opportunity to speak with her alone since dumping the theory on her to begin with. Hermione was convinced that it was the world's way of conspiring to drive her mental. She wanted to know why he was so certain, even though every theory and law surrounding Time-Travel suggested that it simply wasn't possible. Molly had been working harder than ever to ensure that Hermione was never left alone with Sirius, Remus, or any combination of the two. She also seemed to have begun pushing harder to have Ron and Hermione become an item by insisting Ron spend more time than ever in Hermione's company.

When Molly had spotted the bite mark on Harry's shoulder from being bitten into the Pack, she'd almost had a cow and the subsequent row with Sirius, and especially with Remus, had left things very tense inside the house. Remus had excused himself from the house for a few days after that fight when he'd been ready to tear Molly limb from limb for suggesting that he had no business biting Harry and had claimed him to be out of control and even savage.

Everything had been hectic and tensions had been running high since his return. Hermione was beyond annoyed with the woman and even Harry had stepped in to say that Mrs Weasley was out of line, had no right to accuse Remus of such things, and had claimed he was pleased to be part of the Pack because it made him feel like he finally had a family. Of course, Molly had taken offence to that since she counted Harry as one of her sons, most days.

Hermione was pleased to be away from them all, to be honest. She wanted to see Remus because she wanted to find out more about his theory, but everyone else had been annoying her and she honestly couldn't wait to get to Hogwarts just to be away from Molly and to not be living in the pockets of her friends.

Tucked into bed, she had a book about Time-Theory upon her lap and she was thoroughly engrossed in it when the soft knock on her bedroom door sounded.

"Hermione?" a voice asked from the doorway and Hermione blinked, looking up from the page slowly.

Remus stood there, his head tipped to one side and the faintest hint of a smile pulling at the corners of her mouth.

"Remus?" she asked, surprised to see him. She'd thought he was at work.

"Can I come in?" he asked.

"Of course," she nodded, pulling her feet up to give him somewhere to sit when he entered the room.

 _Merlin, he looked delicious,_ she thought as she watched him move. The spark of sexual tension between them ignited, and she wanted to peel back the covers and invite him into bed beside her.

"I finally have the chance to talk to you without being overheard or interrupted," he smiled.

"Shouldn't you be at work?" she asked.

"It's almost seven," he chuckled.

"Oh," Hermione blushed, realising she'd been completely engrossed in her book.

"You're researching time theories?" Remus smiled gently, easing himself down to sit on the end of her bed.

"I've read them before, but I'm trying to figure out how the loop could possibly have been broken."

"Do you believe me, then?" he asked. "That you are Mimi, even though you didn't disappear."

"You still haven't given me any proof," she argued softly. "But I'm… entertaining the possibility."

"The proof is in that you smell identical to the girl I knew back then," he shrugged his shoulders. "And that I know your body better than you do."

"Oh?" Hermione asked, raising one eyebrow in challenge.

Remus grinned wickedly.

"You've got a birthmark in the shape of a wonky-cupcake on your right arse cheek," he informed her.

Hermione blushed crimson.

"You've got a large freckle on your left breast, just to the side of your nipple," he went on. "You've got a funny little mole, right there."

He reached over, poking her through the covers. He pointed to the exact spot of her person where, nestled among her pubic hair, there was a small mole – noticeable only if one squinted and if she'd been keeping up a decent grooming regime.

"Should I continue?" he asked, smirking at her.

" _Can_ you continue?" she asked. "What else do you know?"

"I know you've got a little scar on your left hip from being pushed down some stairs by some kids in your youth," he said. "I know you have a skin-tag in your left arm-pit and you always catch it with the razor when you shave. I know there's a ticklish spot behind your knees that will make you laugh so much you'll wet yourself. I know that there are two little dimples on your lower back and you love it when someone presses their thumbs into them. I know that if I crawled over there and nibbled just here, you'd moan my name."

He skimmed his fingertips over the small patch of skin just behind her ear, trailing them lightly down the side of her neck. Hermione was a little ashamed when a soft sound tore from her lips at the light caress. Remus smiled softly in response.

"But… how?" she asked.

"I was right?" he confirmed. "On all counts?"

Hermione nodded.

"Then you really are the girl Mimi was. Or, the girl Mimi would've been without time-travelling to my time."

"Except I'd never go by Mimi," Hermione frowned. "And every theory about time suggests that it's impossible."

"I don't know how she did it," Remus shrugged. "All I know is that you travelled back and became her. And somehow, she circumvented the laws of time to live beyond your – her – birth, and potentially altered everything. My understanding of time is that whatever happened before she went back was not the same as the way things played out here, for us."

"You think that she broke her loop and thus, created a new time-line?" Hermione frowned.

"She had to have done. Else you'd have gone back in your third year and you didn't. You still had a time-turner, you still _could_ have. But you didn't."

"There's only one way to manage that," Hermione said in a small voice, having researched the topic extensively since he'd mentioned it.

"Oh?" he asked.

"The only way to break a loop and alter the time line that much – enough that one's own self doesn't disappear and doesn't time-travel again on the new line – is to trick the powers that be into believing, at the time of birth, that there is only one soul of that signature on the planes of existence at the second of birth."

"You think she found a way to cheat death? To remove herself from among the living for the seconds of your birth, and return afterwards?" Remus frowned.

"It's possible. It's also dangerous," Hermione said. "One would have to cross the Veil to no longer be on this plane of existence. I'd have had to essentially die and be revived _after_ my birth, to achieve it. That's the only way to avoid disappearing."

Remus nodded slowly, his brow furrowed in deep thought as he considered it.

"It's certainly possible," he said finally. "I'll be honest, Hermione. There were a lot of things that Mimi kept from us. She had her secrets and she had her plots. There were certain things she'd say or do that made us wonder. Until she confessed to me that she was a time-traveller, a lot of things about her didn't make sense."

"Why did she confess?" Hermione asked.

"Fear," Remus said softly. "Knowing your birthdate, as I do, I realise now that she confessed out of fear. She was worried that when she was born, the version of herself there with us would disappear. She came to me, worried, a few days before your birthday, and confessed everything. She said she needed to go away for a few days over your birthday, and she left me in charge of a few things in the event that she might fail. Based on your theory, I suspect she might've gone off and crossed the Veil to ensure her soul wouldn't be recognised as a duplicate. Maybe she worried she'd fail and disappear to be born. Maybe she thought she might simply make it across the Veil and not be able to return."

"When did she come back?" Hermione asked.

"The day after her birthday. She told the others that it was an unavoidable trip for something she was researching and everyone thought nothing more of it," Remus shrugged. "I never asked her, and she never mentioned the time-travel again."

"So I'm… Mimi?" Hermione asked.

"Yes and no," Remus sighed, reaching for her hand absently and interlocking their fingers. "You are in the sense that you're the girl she went on to be, and you're the girl she became without time-travel. Does that make sense? Sirius and I don't think of you as Mimi, exactly. You're Hermione. You don't have any memory of shagging us stupid or of the things we recall you doing, saying or experiencing. You're different, but there are lots of little things that are the same. The way you wrinkle your nose when you laugh. Or the way you put your hands on your hips and huff when you're frustrated. The way you lose yourself in a book and lose track of time unless one of us reminds you to eat. You look the same. Smell them same. You even taste the same. But you're _not_ the same girl. You're so very close to the one we both remember, yet you've no memory of getting rip-roaring drunk with us, or of dancing with the pair of us at James and Lily's wedding."

Hermione nodded slowly.

"So, you don't think of me the same way?" she confirmed.

"No," he shook his head. "Though it would taste a lie to say the pair of us haven't imagined what life might be like if you were to end up like her. In the sense of dating the pair of us when you're of age."

Hermione smiled at his words.

"Is this why you're both so touchy with me?"

"No, that's the Pack bond. Even though you, this version of you, didn't go back in time, Moony recognises you as part of his pack. At some stage, I'd like to induct you in properly, with a bite, if you'll allow it."

Hermione grinned at him.

"I think I'd be extremely upset if you didn't, Remus," she said quietly.

"You're not uncomfortable, now that you know the truth?" he asked her.

"About once being a time-travelling witch who was in a triad relationship? Or about, technically, being Sirius's wife?"

Remus cringed. "Both."

Hermione thought about it.

"I don't really know. It's strange, certainly. But I think your nose can pick up how much I fancy the pair of you, so it's hardly horrifying to think that I'd done despicable things to you in another life when I frequently find myself daydreaming about doing them in this life," Hermione admitted boldly and Remus emitted one of those purring growls of his that made her shiver with delight.

"Fantasising about us, love?" he asked, smiling gently.

Hermione's cheeks turned pink even as she picked at the comforter, nodding.

"You're not the only one," he muttered. "But there is something you should know."

"You think I'm too young and that you're both too old to be dating the likes of me?" she suggested, aware of how bitter she sounded. "And _you_ have a fated soulmate who happens to be a good friend of mine. A witch who is twitterpated with you, no less."

"Tonks is another mess entirely," Remus sighed, leaning back against the wall and slouching on the end of her bed. He looked weary, suddenly. "But the age difference is currently a very big deal, Hermione. You're still not technically sixteen in the eyes of the law."

"And yet I've snogged you and snogged Sirius. And Sirius fingered me the other day during Harry's initiation," Hermione replied.

"Yeah, well, we shouldn't have done that. It's hard sometimes, when you look so much like Mimi and especially when you act like her. Knowing you're right here is hard for Sirius, and for me, too. You have to understand, Hermione, that we both loved her. And I don't say that in the sense that you might say you love Harry or Ron. We _loved_ her. Heart and soul. Body and mind. Being in a triad relationship isn't easy, love. It's a lot of work to make sure no one feels left out and to make sure that everything is open and honest and shared. Mimi still had some secrets, but she never shied away from things that pertained to our relationship.

"We'd each have done anything for her. Killed. Lied. We'd both have been willing to die for her, and I know without a doubt that she'd have done the same for us. And so having you here, so much the same, yet without all the memories and the experiences that made her Mimi and made her ours, there are times when it hurts to even look at you. Sometimes it's like being lanced in the heart to see one of our inside jokes go over your head. Other times it aches to know that you're so young and so innocent compared to what Sirius and I have lived through. There are times when I look at you and I want to pin you to the nearest flat surface and shag you until you scream."

Hermione smiled even as she blushed.

"I wouldn't object," she whispered.

"You would," Remus disagreed. "I'm a werewolf, Hermione."

"I've never cared about that," she argued immediately, her head snapping up and her eyes blazing.

Remus held up his hand.

"I know that. I'm not suggesting you're prejudiced, love. I'm referring to the fact that I'm a werewolf because of the effect that has on sex," he told her, grinning crookedly. "I'm… ah… A little domineering in the bedroom."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "You imagine that would bother me?"

His eyes threaded with gold at her words.

"Do you know what knotting is, Hermione?" he asked her quietly.

Her eyes went wide in surprise. "I… I thought that was a myth," she whispered. "A romanticized idea thrown into those smutty novels Tonks reads when Molly's not looking."

"It's not a myth," Remus said. "It's not common, of course, but it happens occasionally if I shag too close to the full moon. And while you're giving me that wide eyed look and I can smell your knickers getting damp, I _know_ you wouldn't appreciate being knotted in the hallway if I pounced on you on a random Tuesday. I've been informed that being knotted hurts like all buggery. And Sirius would know."

Hermione felt a smile pull at the corners of her mouth at the joke, even as she blushed to know he knew she was wet over the idea.

"So the likelihood of anything coming of my fancying you and Sirius is slim to none, is what you're saying?" Hermione sighed, setting her book aside and eyeing Remus a little sadly.

"I'm saying that until you're of age, everyone we know would murder the three of us for even considering it," Remus argued.

"So I should forget it for a few years?" she asked dully.

Remus sighed too, but he nodded. "For the time being, that would be best. We're both flattered, of course, but it's unwise to continue pushing our luck, especially with Molly so worked up."

"Does that mean you won't officially bite me into the Pack until I'm of age?" she asked.

Remus hesitated.

"It's… complicated," he sighed. "If I put it off too long, like I did with Harry, Moony will take the decision out of my hands and bite you whenever it suits him."

"Something to look forward to, then," Hermione smiled softly. "Can I ask you something?"

"If it's whether or not I'll shag you, then no," he replied.

"Ever?" Hermione asked, her eyes widening.

Remus glanced at her, laughing at her stricken expression. "I mean, no, you can't ask," he smirked.

"Right. Well, it wasn't that. But now I'm thinking about it," Hermione protested. "I wanted to ask about something else. About Mimi."

Remus held her gaze for a long minute in silence, seeming to search her face for some hint of her thoughts.

"Alright," he said. "Ask."

Hermione licked her lips carefully.

"Why, if I – Mimi – was dating both you and Sirius, did Mimi only marry Sirius? Polyamory isn't illegal in the magical world. Legally, Mimi would've been allowed to marry both of you. So why did you only officiate the ceremony as Alpha, rather than marrying Sirius and Mimi, too?"

Remus winced at the question, his eyes closing involuntarily as though the question had hurt him.

"I'm a werewolf, Hermione," he reminded her.

"How many times must I mention how little that matters to me?" Hermione demanded.

"You misunderstand," he said, opening his eyes to smile at her, though it looked a little forced. "Though I'm beginning to think I must bitch about my condition too much if you automatically think I'm degrading myself whenever I mention my lycanthropy."

Hermione didn't deny it.

"Right. Well, then. I… where was I?" he asked, frowning.

"You were going to tell me why you didn't marry us, too."

"That's right. I'm a werewolf. And you and Sirius were married in January of 1980."

Hermione frowned at him.

"So?" she asked, not coming up with an answer.

"I'm on the Registry, Hermione," Remus said, frowning at her in return. "I have been since I was bitten as a boy. I'm not legally _allowed_ to get married. Werewolf rights haven't come that far, yet. It's outlawed for any werewolf to marry a non-lyncanthrope."

"WHAT!?" Hermione shouted, making Remus wince. "That law was overturned in… 1991, I thought?"

"It was. For a time. It was reinstated in 1992. Legally speaking, lycanthropy isn't recognized as a disease, Hermione. I'm not recognised as a human. My information isn't included on the population census and I've no right to vote, among other things considered basic human rights. I have no legal right to a job nor to claim benefits for losing any position. I'm not actually this shabby by choice, love," Remus said quietly. "Had we tried to include me in the marriage, from a legal standpoint, you and Sirius would've been arrested for attempted bestiality. That's how the Ministry views my kind. Not as people, but as animals. Legally we fall under the classification of Beasts. When in human form we class as Beings, but even then, it's not as a Human Being. And that's a very recent amendment. In 1980 we certainly weren't considered anything other than monsters. Mutts. Half-breeds. Dangerous and contagious.

"Had I attempted to marry you and Sirius, we'd all have been arrested and I might've even been euthanized. And in case you're wondering, yes, werewolves can legally be euthanized. Put down the same way the Government in the muggle world does to dogs and other animals who've no home and no owner to claim them. You and Sirius would've been arrested for bestiality and thrown in prison and I'd have been given the needle. It was safer and much easier for all of us to have you and Sirius legally marry. I was still a part of the ceremony as officiant, though I don't recall what strings Mimi had to pull to have me recognised as the celebrant. We still carried on as a triad, just not in the legal sense."

Hermione was frowning fiercely.

"I thought a number of those things had been overturned, Remus. I knew there was a time when werewolves had a very rough go of things, but I had no idea that they were still so bad. Weren't most of them overturned in the 1990?"

"They were," he nodded. "For a short time we were recognised as people with disabilities or health conditions. We were given free health-care and benefits for being unable to hold a job, as long as we proved we were looking. We could file reports if employers dismissed us for being werewolves, too. It was a good time."

"What happened?" Hermione asked. "And why don't I know about it?"

"There is a woman in the Ministry, actually she's currently Fudge's Senior Undersecretary. She used to be in the law department and she loathes half-breeds and beasts. She had almost all of the repeals overturned and actually made things much worse all over again for werewolves, among other creatures. Her name is Umbridge. No one is quite sure how she does it, since everything she's written is unwaveringly biased, prejudiced and downright discriminatory, but she always gets things passed in court. It's not widely reported on because, frankly, no one expect for those effected by the changes actually seems to care."

Hermione's jaw set at the very idea.

"I can't wait until I graduate," she muttered. "I have my career already planned out, you know? And you better believe that it's in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures."

Remus smiled at her ruefully.

"If only there a way you could start with them now," he muttered.

"I already looked into that. They refused to accept anyone under the age of seventeen," Hermione replied bitterly. "So, legally you couldn't marry Sirius and Mimi… Why did they get married at all? Why not just live in sin? I doubt the three of us would've cared. Mimi wouldn't have had parents, Sirius was thrown out of home before finishing school, and I know what happened with your family."

"Not the whole story, I'd wager," Remus muttered. "But you're right. We could have lived in sin and we did for a long while, even after James and Lily tied the knot."

"Then why marry in the first place?" she asked.

Remus's lips twisted painfully at the question.

"Sorry," Hermione apologised. "I'm being insensitive This is obviously painful for you to talk about."

"No, I…" Remus sighed. "It's painful, yeah. But you've got a right to know. Mimi and Sirius got married because Mimi was pregnant."

Hermione's eyes went wide at the very idea.

"But… doesn't that mean…"

"That you were pregnant when you disappeared?" Remus asked darkly. "Yeah, it does. It's why I thought you might be Mimi's daughter when you walked into my classroom in your third year."

"I…" Hermione sat there, stunned.

"Mimi suspected she was pregnant in December of 1979. If I'm honest, we weren't very careful. Any of us. Lily was already pregnant and expecting Harry. We were young and the war made us all a little reckless. There's nothing like thinking you might die before turning twenty-one that makes you want to live life to the fullest, including to start a family. We weren't trying for a kid, mind you, but we weren't using contraception, either. When Mimi skipped her first period and I caught a whiff of the pregnancy scent coming off of her the same way it came off Lily, we rushed to have Mimi and Sirius marry. You may have noticed for all the magic wielding, we wizarding folk are very traditional about some things and bastard children are one of them. We didn't want to risk the ire of the Ministry and our associates by having people think that we were all living in sin even more than we were.

"You have to remember, triads aren't common. They're very rare. Usually twins might date a singular person in our world, a polyamorous arrangement that doesn't involve incest, in most cases. Actually, Gideon and Fabian Prewett, Molly's brothers, were in a relationship of that kind. They were both dating Marlene McKinnon, a friend of ours. Anyway, it's not common for true triads. In the sense of three people all shagging and all loving each other. We kept it very quiet that you were seeing both me and Sirius. Most folks just thought you were dating Sirius, and I was close with the two of you. Anyway, we rushed to get you and Sirius legally hitched so the kid wouldn't be a bastard. We never found out which one of us, me or Sirius, impregnated Mimi."

Hermione listened avidly, watching the way Remus frowned slightly.

"I remember thinking that I hoped the kid would be Sirius's. I feared passing on my condition and the stigma. Honestly, I terrified myself with thoughts that Mimi would give birth to a wolf-cub instead of a human," he shook his head slowly. "But that's why the marriage occurred. To protect everyone from the stigma. I was still included, of course. Still slept in the same bed with Sirius and Mimi every night. Still loved them the same. It used to eat at me that I didn't have the same rights, of course, it still does. But they never made me feel like I didn't belong."

Hermione was frowning.

"Mimi was six months pregnant when she disappeared?" she asked, unable to think of the witch they spoke of as being herself when it wasn't a life she'd lived.

Remus nodded.

"For a while, I wondered if she'd taken a paternity test and run for it," Remus admitted. "Mimi had never shown any prejudice to me, but we had all been bickering in the lead up to her disappearance over the notion of a paternity test to make sure we knew what to expect."

"Any children you sire won't be animals, Remus," Hermione frowned at him. "They aren't even werewolves when they're born. They're the same as those bitten by a werewolf in human form. Some heightened senses and some wolfish traits, but that's all."

"We didn't know that then," he told her. "We were all worried as her due date drew closer. And when she disappeared, I believed she'd taken a test, realised the child was mine and run for it in fear over what she might give birth to. Sirius and I had a huge falling out over it and he went off the rails. Started killing the Death Eaters. He believed she'd been kidnapped, knowing that you – Mimi – would never run out on us over the father of her child. He went mental with grief and worry. When the expected due date of the pregnancy came, we all hoped she might come back, but she didn't. She never did. Things got worse, of course. There was a spy in the Order, Peter was always gone, Sirius was mad with grief, and I was a wreck among the packs listening to tales of pups conceived during the full moon and born as real wolves. I near drove myself mad with fear that Mimi had given birth to wolves and stayed gone, unable to face us."

Hermione watched him for a short while when he fell quiet, noting the pained cast on his lined face. His condition and his grief had been hard on him.

"The alteration to the loop caused all of this," Hermione said quietly. "Do you realise that? If Mimi hadn't gone back at all you wouldn't have fallen out with Sirius. Had she disappeared at my birthday, you'd have comforted each other over the effects of time-travel and you'd never have suspected him as the traitor. Peter might've been caught instead, and James and Lily would never have trusted him. This is why it's against the law to meddle with time. Awful things happen to those who do. By circumventing the loop, she created a new future, which might very well have been much worse than the time she'd originally been born to."

"I know," Remus said softly, his eyes closed in pain. "Trust me, love. I've spent years torturing myself with those types of facts."

"Remus, what happened to the child? If Mimi lived and was still being held prisoner by Wormtail in November of 1981, the child she carried would have been over a year old when Peter transformed and faked his death. What happened to the child? And do you know for certain that Mimi is dead?"

Remus nodded miserably, a tear escaping his closed eyelids and trickling down his cheek at her questions.

"I don't know what happened to the baby, Hermione," he admitted softly. "All I know is that Mimi died. When one belongs to a Pack, bitten and marked, a link is formed. Sort of like a tether, a magical link connecting pack-mates to each other and to me as the Alpha. A bit like string, only magic. I can 'pull' those strings. In the sense that were Sirius to lose his mind or to fly into a blind rage, I could yank on that link and take control of him. Through the link I could take control of his mind and his body and make him do whatever I wanted. It's not easy, of course, but I could – or Moony could. It's a werewolf thing. I'd have to be in a state of at least partial transformation and of human mind to do it, but it's possible. Anyway, those links connect every member of the Pack to me. Like little pulsing heartbeats rushing back to me. Strings on a balloon. I can feel that Pads and Harry are alive and well right this moment. I could feel Mimi's string – her life-force – up until late November in 1981. I felt James and Lily die, and I felt Mimi die. The strings connect to a part of me and when they stop pulsing, they burn out and go still."

"Wouldn't any child born to you or Sirius by Mimi also be connected?" she asked. "You said that Harry was born a part of the pack because of James and Lily. Shouldn't you have felt any offspring of the pack be born, too?"

Remus nodded. "Yeah. I felt it when Harry was born. I was with the Packs at the time and suddenly I felt this rush of joy and happiness followed by another little pulse against my subconscious and I knew Lily had given birth…. I never felt one from Mimi."

Hermione's heart twisted inside her chest.

"I…. Sirius believes Wormtail took Mimi and I think he's right. And if he took her, knowing she was pregnant, he might've… hurt her to make her miscarry." Remus gritted his teeth as though the very thought hurt him. "He… Peter is a monster of a person, Hermione. I believe he'd have been jealous enough to kill the unborn child – to cut it out of her himself if he had to. He loathed and loved Mimi in equal measure."

"I… I don't understand that part of all this, Remus," she said quietly. "Why wasn't Peter a part of the Pack too? Sirius told me he lived with all of you and that he left after a little while of living there."

Remus sighed before he glanced over at her.

"Peter is… was… he was always part of our group. A Marauder. But when Mimi arrived in our third year, things changed. He was still our best mate, still always there, but he got funny about Mimi. I think it was a crush in the beginning, and a tangle of resentment, infatuation and anger as things progressed between Sirius, Mimi and I. We… we didn't tell him about it for a long while, knowing it would upset him and knowing he might feel left out. James was dating Lily before we told Wormtail about the three of us. He was jealous. He felt like he didn't belong anymore because we had the girl he wanted, and were all shacked up together while he had no one.

"As for why he wasn't part of the Pack. Well… to be honest, I don't rightly know. At first the link was just a result of me, Sirius and Mimi getting a bit too kinky and tapping into the sex-magic that creates the bonds. When James joined the Pack it was a result of the four of us running into some trouble in the forest following a full moon. Wormtail wasn't there. I think he'd been too ill to join us that month and we ran across a large number of Acromantula inside the forest, having strayed from our usual hunting grounds. When we fought them off before running for it – me literally riding on Prongs's back once he'd transformed since the moon was over and I'm not an Animagus – we were all so relieved that Mimi, Sirius and I all snogged and then Mimi just kind of grabbed James to thank him for saving me and things got out hand the same way they did with Harry the other day. And then he was part of the Pack, too. Lily was bitten into it after she and James got together during seventh year. But with Peter the… urge, I suppose you'd call it… it was just never there. I suppose that should've been a hint in and of itself."

He sighed heavily, as though the tale had tired him out.

"Well… thank you for telling me, Remus," Hermione whispered. "I've been curious and confused since you mentioned it the other day and it's something of a weight off to know that Molly's hissing about how Sirius was only being flirty with me over his dead wife was beginning to get to me. To know that wife _was_ me – another version of me – makes things more complicated, but a little less uncomfortable, somehow."

Remus nodded. "I didn't plan on telling you for a long while, yet," he admitted. "But after the initiation the other day, it just felt… right. It's… your age is a huge factor, Hermione. I know you don't want to hear it. I don't want to bloody say it, but you're too young for us right now. We'll all be flayed alive if we pursue anything and there are limits to what others will tolerate from me and Sirius. Biting Harry was pushing it. If Molly ever finds a bite on you, she'll kill me."

"Does this mean I shouldn't crawl into bed with you or Sirius whenever I feel like it?" she asked.

"It means that you can't be seen to be interested in either of us romantically," Remus replied. "We have to be smart about this. I'm not stupid enough to suggest dissociation or feigned frostiness. But as long as they have nothing to actually accuse us all of, things will be frowned at, but nothing further will come of it."

"And when I'm of age?" she asked.

"You'll be legally allowed to do as you please and no one will be able to force you not to associate with us, if you're still interested by then."

"Until then?" she asked.

Remus shrugged. "The wisest thing to do would actually be for you to date someone else, love. I know, you don't have to make that face. It's a stupid idea because we'll both be bloody jealous and because you'll be leading that person on, but it would be best. People will stop thinking we're grooming you if you date some tosser your own age."

"I don't like anyone my own age. I had a thing for Ron, for a bit, but not anymore."

"You snogged Harry alright the other day, and you're close with him."

"Yeah, but he fancies Cho Chang and Ginny fancies Harry. She'd kill me if I put the moves on him."

"You've already put the moves on him, love. If she knew you'd snogged him, even under the influence of pack magic, she'd be hurt. If you were discreet, you'd both be better for it."

"Not if you want me to date someone for the sake of being seen to do so," she pointed out. "I can't be seen dating and also be discreet about it."

"Shit," he swore. "Well… what about the twins?"

Hermione frowned. "Fred and George? Really?"

"Sure," Remus smirked. "And what better way to prepare the world for the notion of you being in a triad relationship than by dating a pair of twins?"

"Wouldn't that make you and Sirius insanely jealous?" she asked.

"Probably," Remus nodded. "But that'd be our problem."

"And if I slept with the twins?" she asked.

Remus growled at the very idea. Hermione smiled, liking the possessive tone of it.

"I… well, I wouldn't be thrilled and Sirius would likely be pretty furious too, but it would do you some good. You're not the Mimi we knew and loved, darling. You're Hermione and you're different from her. And for all that you talk the talk of snogging girls and having lost your virginity, you've got a long way to go in your sexual education before you're ready for the intensity of Sirius and I in the same relationship. Think of twins as a warm up – get you used to snogging two different blokes in a whirlwind of hands and lips and cocks."

"You don't think I could handle it?" she asked, surprised.

"I think that the two of us have spent too long loving the girl you were to us, and not enough time getting to know _you_ , this version of you," Remus informed her. "I'd hate to see you hurt if we got too rough – and Mimi liked it rough – because we got carried away. We'd try not to, but we're only human, love."

"Wouldn't that be me… using the twins?" she asked, frowning.

"A bit. What? You don't fancy them?"

"They're so…" Hermione frowned. "Wild. They're wild. They're also very wrapped up in their products and their company. They won't want the likes of me for a girlfriend. Especially if they think I'm only interested in them to learn how to be with you and Sirius."

"Actually, it'd be good for them, too," Remus said quietly. "They probably don't realise it yet, but they're going to want the same witch sooner or later. A number of twins fall for the same person and it can cause a lot of tension and feuds between them before they think of a triad arrangement. I'm not suggesting you run at them saying you want to use them and to let them use you, but I am suggesting it might be a mutually beneficial relationship."

"Except for the part where you and Sirius might want to hex them silly," Hermione poked him with her toe.

Remus smiled crookedly.

"Sirius and I have a few other issues to work out anyway," he replied.

"Such as?" she asked.

"Tonks," Remus admitted. "I don't want to hurt her and I know I've led her on by letting her think that the shagging at the blood moon meant anything. I need to sort that out and Sirius… well, he doesn't get out much and outside of me I don't reckon he's actually shagged anyone in a long while. Might do him some good to get back in the habit of shagging women before taking a run at you. Because I know he gets too excited and gets stupid in his excitement, sometimes. And shagging you would pretty much overload him with excitement."

"So I should… date the twins while you let Tonks down easy and Sirius sleeps around?" she asked.

"Gods, I've missed that possessive growl in your voice, love," he whispered and Hermione blushed. She didn't know what to say that wouldn't make her sound petulant, and so Hermione simply stared at him, watching his handsome face as he smiled at her so adoringly. "Come on, let's go and have a cup of tea and some dinner. And then make the most of having the house to ourselves for the night by sitting in the library and reading without anyone coming to interrupt us with boisterous laughter, games of chess, or gripes about inappropriate behaviour."

When he winked at her, Hermione caught another glimpse of the Marauder he used to be and a smile split her face.

"Do I have to wear pants?" she asked, crawling out of bed and revealing that she wore only one of Sirius's old Quidditch jersey's without pyjama bottoms.

"I wouldn't dream of it," Remus assured her, grinning as he led the way toward the kitchen. Hermione laughed as she followed him.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Look! A shiny new update for you to enjoy!**

* * *

 **Used To Be Mine**

 _By Kittenshift17_

* * *

 **Chapter 9**

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 **31** **st** **August, 1995**

 **Grimmauld Place**

Hermione looked up at the sound of Sirius's records playing in his bedroom. She could hear them floating down the stairs toward where she stood in the library, doing a last minute check over the books she wanted to take with her to Hogwarts. Sirius had told her to take whatever she wished and to owl him if she wanted to change anything out while she was away. He'd picked the Beatles record she'd bought for him and she smiled when she heard him begin to sing along softly to the tune.

Her hearing ability had increased exponentially as the time she spent with the Mandrake leaf inside her mouth and unlocking parts of her magic to attempt Animagi went on. She could hear a number of things she wished she didn't, ranging from the sounds of Molly and Arthur partaking their martial rights, Ron self-satisfying himself in the shower, and the sound of Kreacher sneaking about the house at all hours. At that moment, however, Hermione was grateful for it because a little known fact about Sirius Black was that he had a delightful singing voice.

He crooned the words softly, apparently to himself, the music soft enough that he likely wouldn't disturb anybody who didn't have increased hearing abilities. Leaning against the bookshelf for a moment, Hermione closed her eyes just to listen to him softly singing the lyrics of her favourite Beatles song _In My Life_. Unable to resist joining him, Hermione abandoned the books - something she was sure would shock her friends - and left the library.

It was late. Molly and Arthur had already gone to bed, as had almost everyone else. Hermione had snuck out of the room she'd been sharing with Ginny when the girl had gone to bed early, shipped off to bed by Molly who'd insisted they would all want to be well rested for their return to Hogwarts tomorrow. Hermione didn't see why, given that she could sleep on the train if she wanted to, and so once she'd been sure everyone who'd complain had gone to bed, she'd gotten back up.

Creeping up the stairs to Sirius's room, Hermione found the door ever so slightly ajar – an indication that he was more than happy to accept company. Hermione knew he was feeling depressed over the notion that she and Harry would be returning to Hogwarts tomorrow because it meant that everyone else would leave, too. Remus would stay, of course, but everyone else would vacate the house and it would be empty and dull once more.

When she pushed the door open slowly, she found Sirius reclining on his bed, singing along absently to the words of the song whilst flipping through a photo album. He didn't look over as she pushed the bedroom door all the way closed once she was inside. Hermione crossed to the bed on tiptoes, not wanting to disturb him, suspecting he might be lost in his memories again.

She climbed up on the bed beside him when she reached it, setting aside one of the albums he'd laid open on the covers. Burrowing into his side, Hermione laid her head upon his chest, looking on as he flipped through the album, still seemingly unaware of her presence. He must've been in his cups again; she could smell the whiskey on his breath as he crooned the words of the song. She watched the way his fingers caressed a picture of James and Lily on their wedding day, his eyes lingering on their laughing, happy faces and Hermione felt a painful squeeze inside her chest.

The next page bore the first glimpse she'd see of herself - older than she was now – yet twenty years in the past. There upon the page, dancing close with Sirius, was her. Or rather, Mimi. Curls loose and wild, the girl in the picture seemed far removed from the girl Hermione knew herself to be. Her eyes were alight with laughter as she danced, she was barefoot, dressed in a pretty green bridesmaid gown. Sirius himself wore expensive looking dress robes, though he'd undone his tie and unbuttoned the top few buttons on his shirt.

She could hear the pain in his voice even as he kept singing along, his fingers caressing the image of the girl in the photograph.

"Fuck, I miss you," he whispered brokenly, and Hermione feared her heart would shatter. Cuddling into him even closer, she wished there was some way to ease his pain, but she knew that though she might be the girl in the photograph, she wasn't the one his heart ached for.

He longed for a girl who'd grown up with him, gone to school with him, fallen in love with him not as the godfather of her best friend, but as his girlfriend; his pack-mate; his teenage crush. She wasn't any of those things because she hadn't lived the life Mimi had done and Hermione found herself almost wishing she hadn't given the Time-Turner back, wishing that the time-loop Mimi had been on hadn't been broken, rendering Hermione to this new future where she was just a painful memory for Sirius and Remus.

"I wish there was something I could do," Hermione murmured to Sirius, pressing her lips to his bare chest, right above his heart.

"You and me both, treasure," he murmured in reply, turning the page and revealing a picture of Remus appearing beside them just as the couple from the previous photo spun out to arm's length. Indeed, Mimi spun right into Remus's arms and proceeded to be twirled around by him, still smiling her love at both men in the photo.

Hermione laughed when he turned the page again, showing instead and image of Remus and Sirius dancing together, waltzing and looking like they were having a good laugh as they danced in circles around Mimi.

"I loved her, Hermione," Sirius said, surprising her to show he was actually aware of her presence and just whom he was talking to.

"I know," Hermione nodded.

"Remus told you," Sirius said softly. "Gods, witch, but we both loved that girl."

Hermione's heart clenched. She wondered if there might ever be a time when they could look at her and not think of Mimi. If there would ever be a moment when they loved Hermione as they'd loved Mimi.

"Hurts you to think we loved her, knowing she's who you might've become, doesn't it, treasure?" Sirius murmured, tipping his gaze from the photo album to look at her.

"Yes," Hermione murmured softly. "It hurts knowing that every time either of you look at me, your hearts ache for her. Part of me might be a tiny bit jealous, but mostly I'm just sad that you feel pain when you see me."

"We feel hope, too," Sirius whispered, holding her gaze. "You're her, love. You and Mimi. Different versions of Hermione Granger. She ended up like this as a result of time-jumping and growing up with us… You're still growing up, and we're tainted by grief, but that girl and you are one and the same, at the end of the day."

"No, we're not," Hermione shook her head sadly. "I could never be her, Sirius. I might look like her, I might even grow to act like her… but I'll never be the girl you danced with at James and Lily's wedding. I'll never be the girl who pulled pranks with you at Hogwarts, or who ran with you at full moons through the Forbidden Forest after busting Moony out of the Shrieking Shack. It hurts to think that you want me to be her, and it hurts even more to know I can't be."

Sirius sighed, holding her gaze carefully. He lowered the album to lay it across his lap before reaching for her. He cupped her cheek gently, lifting her head to better hold her gaze. Hermione smiled sadly at him.

"You're more like her than you know, love," he whispered before he leaned in, capturing her lips carefully.

Hermione melted into his kiss, her lips moving against his. He traced her lower lip with the tip of his tongue and Hermione sighed as she opened to him. He tasted of whiskey when his tongue swept into her mouth, sliding hotly against hers. Shivers of delight washed through her and she could smell his desire as it began to grow.

He looped his free arm around her, pulling her closer until she was stretched out of top of him after moving the photo album, one of his hands finding its way under the hem of her shirt to smooth across the small of her back, the other tangled into her wild curls. Sirius kissed her gently, yet insistently, his tongue sweeping surely against hers, stealing her ability to think clearly. Hermione kissed back enthusiastically.

Remus's suggestion about dating the twins as a warm-up to him and Sirius and his mentions of the things they all needed to do whilst waiting until she was of age played on a loop inside her head even as she snogged Sirius hungrily. She could feel his body reacting to her proximity and their kisses, and he hissed when she rubbed herself against the growing bulge. The breath rushed from her lungs in a huff when he suddenly flipped them both, rolling her across the bed and crawling on top of her. Hermione smiled against his lips as he deepened the kiss, kissing her hotter, his tongue sweeping faster, his weight delicious as he pressed her into the bed.

Hermione moaned softly when he broke from her lips, kissing her neck and nipping at her pulse-point. She clutched at him, arching under him, her whole body on fire with desire and aching to be touched. Gods, she wanted to have her way with him. She wanted him to have his way with her. She wanted to ravish him until the ache in her nethers was sated and the hole in his heart was healed.

"Fuck, you smell good, treasure," Sirius's voice was husky and low with desire as he kissed the length of her neck and across her collarbones, nudging aside the straps of her singlet to better access her flesh.

Hermione arched into him again, her hands trailing over his bare shoulders and back, nails scraping lightly, insistently, trying to draw him even closer.

"Sirius, please," Hermione breathed when he kissed her chest slowly, right along the low-cut cleavage line of her top, dotting her skin with little nips, his stubble scratching her skin in the most delightful way.

A low sound escaped him, too low to be discerned with regular human hearing, at the sound of his name on her tongue, begging him for more. Hermione's eyes crossed when he levered himself up just enough to pull her top the rest of the way down, exposing her breasts to the cool night air. For a moment, he simply looked and Hermione fought the urge to squirm self-consciously.

"Fuck!" Sirius whispered, his eyes darting to her face, his expression wrought with pain and confusion and need and worry that he shouldn't be doing this. When he leaned in, engulfing her left nipple and suckling it into his mouth, Hermione whimpered softly.

"Need Silencing charms," he muttered when he pulled away from one breast to lave attention on the other. "You'll wake your friends with your noises, love."

Hermione's head was swimming but she found herself fumbling in search of her wand, jerking it from the waist band of her shorts and twirling it, muttering Silencing charms and wards to keep anyone but Remus from entering the room and to keep anyone from overhearing them. The last thing she needed was Ron, Ginny, Harry, or the twins being far enough along with their mandrake leaves to hear her hooking up with Sirius.

"Heh!" Hermione gasped quietly, her breath ragged, her head swimming as he took his time, suckling at her flesh like he couldn't resist the urge to devour her.

He'd begun rolling his hips, rubbing himself against the junction of her thighs and making Hermione crazy. Prying his lips from her nipple, Hermione pulled his face back to hers, snogging him hungrily and feeling the smirk on Sirius's lips as he kissed her back. She wanted him. She wanted him so badly her whole body ached with it. The idea of returning to Hogwarts in the morning and not being able to see him for months, or being able to write to him without the letter potentially being intercepted made her chest ache and she wondered how he and Remus had possibly survived losing Mimi. She couldn't even bear the thought of being a few hundred miles away from them, knowing they were alive and well. They lived with the pain of knowing that girl was dead.

"Merlin, 'Mi," Sirius groaned when she nipped her way along his jaw before kissing his neck. "You're testing my self-control, love."

"Bugger self-control," Hermione replied huskily.

Sirius groaned, kissing her again and making her head spin.

"Remus will kill me if I ravish you now," Sirius said, pulling back several minutes later even as he kept rubbing himself against her.

"Why?" Hermione frowned. "He can join in, too."

Sirius's eyes flashed with desire and heat and a longing so poignant she almost cried.

"You're too young, treasure. I've pushed my boundaries with you as it is, in the initiation the other day, and now. I should be keeping my hands and lips to myself."

"I'm old enough," Hermione protested. "Using the time-turner technically makes me of age."

Sirius shook his head. "You're too young in the eyes of the world, time-turner or not. And I reckon Molly would throw me back in Azkaban herself if she knew about this."

"Well… who says Molly has to find out?" Hermione asked, feeling a rapidly fizzing dislike begin to form where the Weasley matriarch was concerned.

"Gods, witch," Sirius whispered, smiling slowly. "Every word that comes out of your mouth just makes me want you even more."

"Then what are you waiting for?" Hermione asked breathlessly.

Sirius smirked, leaning in and kissing her again, devouring her lips and sweeping the whiskey taste into her mouth. Hermione's heart was pounding inside her chest and she whimpered needily when he brought his hands up, capturing her nipples and rolling them lightly. When he broke the kiss, Hermione slipped her hands along the bare planes of his chest, feeling the ripple of each muscle, the bump of each rib, the silkiness of each scar. She skimmed her thumbs over his nipples, enjoying it when he squirmed, ticklish.

"Fucking hell, 'Mi," Sirius groaned, lowering his mouth to her breasts once more while Hermione traced her hands south toward the waistline of his pyjama pants, intent on freeing him from them.

Sirius skimmed his hand up the inside of her thigh, lifting off her enough to watch her quivering with need.

"Please," Hermione whispered when he skimmed his fingers over her sex through the fabric.

"So polite, love?" he teased, nipping her nipple gently and making her cry out.

Hermione dipped her hand under the waistband of his pants and Sirius hissed in a surprised breath when her small hand wrapped around his cock, taking hold of him firmly.

"Godric fucking Gryffindor!" Sirius exclaimed breathlessly, his whole body trembling when she worked her hand up and down slowly, experienced enough to know that much, at least.

He claimed her breasts with more fervour, his fingers pulling aside the fabric of her knickers and tracing over her silky sex reverently.

"Please, Sirius," Hermione whispered breathlessly, bucking her hips under him when he touched but didn't impale her onto his fingers the way she ached to have him do. Her hand pumped over his cock surely, gripping him tightly while her heart fluttered and her body trembled.

When he dipped his fingers into her silken sheath, Hermione huffed in delight.

"So wet for me, treasure," Sirius said smugly. In response, Hermione swiped her thumb over the leaking head of his cock, gathering the moisture there and making his breath hitch.

Hermione whined when he beckoned his fingers within her, working her sweet spot and driving her mad.

"Pull your shirt off, 'Mi," Sirius murmured to her, pulling back from her nipples to watch her ride his fingers.

Hermione frowned.

"I'm a little busy," she protested, not wanting to relinquish her new favourite toy. Sirius laughed.

"Bloody hell, where's Moony when you need him?" Sirius said.

"Where _is_ Remus?" Hermione asked, frowning as she used her free hand to pull at his pyjama pants, freeing his cock from them and pulling them down until the gathered around his knees while he knelt over her.

"He was on duty tonight," Sirius shrugged. "Said he'd be back around midnight."

Hermione nodded, fishing Sirius's hand from her pussy and insisting he rid her of her shirt. He pulled it off over her head as Hermione sat up. She smirked as he pulled the garment free, stooping slightly and poking her tongue out to lick at the moisture leaking from his exposed cock.

"Sweet fucking Circe!" Sirius hissed in surprise, dropping the shirt. Hermione grinned at him wickedly before licking him again, manipulating him with her hand and watching his eyelids flutter at the sensations. "Fair warning, beautiful, you better be willing to let me repay the favour if you're doing that."

Hermione opened her mouth, swirling her tongue around the head of his cock before easing him between her lips and sinking down on him. She'd done this particular activity countless times when she'd dated Viktor and she rather prided herself on her ability. An ability she very much wanted to share with Sirius. He groaned at the feel of her mouth enclosing his cock, his hands tangling into her curls as his head dropped back in delight.

She took her time, working him over with her hands and her mouth in tandem, swirling her tongue along his length and around his circumference, learning his taste and his dimensions, committing them to memory.

"Fuck, baby, I can't ever let you go," he muttered reverently and Hermione smiled around him, enjoying her task and enjoying his reactions. "Bloody hell, 'Mi. You're going to bring me undone, you little vixen. Shit."

Hermione grinned, moving one hand to cup his bollocks, fondling them gently as they tightened with his impending release. She'd never felt so turned on or so alive as she watched him, his eyes dark and stormy when he dropped his head, meeting her gaze, watching her suck him with lust glittering in his eyes.

She almost missed the click of his bedroom door opening, and if not for the indrawn breath and a low groan from the doorway, she might've missed Remus's arrival.

"Oh, bloody hell," Remus groaned.

"Moony?" Sirius moaned, his eyes darting to the werewolf even as Hermione slanted her gaze that way without ceasing her motions, licking Sirius's dick as more pre-cum leaked onto her tongue, tangy and salty and making her crave the taste of him as he exploded.

"Fucking hell, Pads!" Remus groaned, the door closing behind him as he leaned against it, looking tortured, torn between wanting to join them and knowing he should be stopping them instead.

Hermione reached toward him with one hand, inviting him over, wanting to bring him off too, wanting to go at him next, just as soon as she brought Sirius off.

"Come here, Moony," Sirius begged, also reaching for him while his free hand tightened in Hermione's curls.

"You're not supposed to… she's too young… shit," Remus protested half-heartedly, his feet carrying him toward the pair upon the bed even as he made his objections.

"Too late for all that, love," Sirius told him, gripping the front of his shirt when Remus was within reach, pulling him in and snogging him hard on the mouth.

Hermione smirked when Sirius's hips bucked, almost messing with her rhythm while Hermione reached with the hand not smoothing over Sirius's silken steel length, for Remus's belt buckle. The sight of the two of them snogging made her whole body thrum and Hermione hummed her delight when Remus's tunnelled his fingers into her hair, too.

"Fuck," Sirius whispered, pulling back from Remus to look down at Hermione as she sucked him hard, hollowing her cheeks. "Bloody hell, 'Mi, I'm gonna…"

Hermione flicked her eyes up to meet his stormy pair and Sirius groaned as she bobbed her head once, twice, again. His hand in her hair tightened just as she managed Remus's belt buckle, one-handed. Sirius's breath caught before a low whine tore from him. He tried to pull her free, apparently worried about coming in her mouth, but Hermione refused to budge, swallowing him as best she could just as hot liquid spurted across her tongue.

He shuddered when Hermione hummed at the taste of him.

"Fuck," Remus groaned, kissing Sirius again while Hermione dipped her hand inside his jeans, seeking out his cock too.

Sirius kissed Remus hotly, his hand in Hermione's hair prying her mouth off him when he was spent. Hermione smiled, self-satisfied, wiping at the corners of her mouth and releasing him. She knew that continuing after a wizard had come always made them too sensitive to touch. Releasing Sirius completely, Hermione turned her attention to Remus, both hands fishing his cock from his trousers before she copied her seduction of Sirius, licking the head of his rapidly hardening cock and noting the difference in flavour for the two of them.

Remus tasted wilder, somehow. Breathing in the sweet tea and loam scent of her favourite werewolf, Hermione manipulated him carefully, licking him from base to tip and almost making his knees buckle. Sirius caught him before he could fall and Hermione laughed softly.

"Merlin, 'Mi," Remus whispered, breaking his kiss with Sirius to speak. "You don't have to… we really shouldn't be…. Oh, fuck."

Remus's attempts to make excuses about why they shouldn't do as they were doing came to an abrupt halt when one of his purring-growls escaped him as she engulfed the head of his cock inside her mouth. Both of his hands sunk into her hair and Hermione closed her eyes, ignoring the ache in her jaw from having already given one blowjob.

"Lift up a bit, beautiful," Sirius said, his hands pulling at her shorts and her knickers, trying to strip her completely. Hermione lifted as best she could. "Closer to the edge of the bed, Moony. And spread your legs. 'Mi, slide your legs between Moony's, would you? I want to taste you."

"Sirius… we shouldn't be…" Remus tried to protest before he stopped when Hermione hollowed her cheeks around him, sucking hard.

"Shut up, love," Sirius chuckled. "Shut up and enjoy it. She's going back to school tomorrow and we'll all be on our best behaviour. But we've got to say a proper goodbye."

Remus hummed in agreement as Hermione's mouth bobbed over him, her rhythm a little jerky as Sirius manipulated her body around, pulling both of her legs through Remus's spread pair. He pulled her shorts from her ankles and then pulled her down a little further, prying her knees apart. Realising he was planning to eat her out, Hermione spread her legs wide.

"Gods, I love how eager you are for it, love," Sirius complimented, trailing a burning line of kisses up her inner thigh.

"You alright, love?" Remus asked when Hermione moaned softly around him.

Hermione opened her eyes to find him staring at her, his eyes bright green as he watched her, his hands in her hair and his body tense. Hermione fixed him a hot look, smirking around him as best she could without actually releasing him. Her eyes rolled back in her head when she felt Sirius's fingers trailing over her sex, peeling her open before he leaned in and began to feast. Sweet merlin, she'd never felt anything so good, despite having received oral sex before.

Sirius was tricky with his tongue, dipping in to taste her, lapping at her slit, suckling her clit and making her crazy. Hermione struggled to keep her rhythm around Remus, hands and mouth working furiously now. He shuddered at the sensation every time Sirius drew a moan from her.

"Fuck, you're beautiful," Remus complimented her softly, his gaze lustful. Hermione glowed at the praise, lapping at him, suckling him. His breath was ragged, his cheeks pink, his hands tight in her hair. Hermione could tell he was close and that watching her get off as Sirius licked her out was turning him on all the more.

"So fucking sweet," Sirius was groaning between her legs as he lapped at her hungrily. "Missed that taste so much. Gods, I could do this all night."

Hermione whimpered when he suckled her clit and drove two fingers deep inside of her, beckoning with them, making her gush.

"Gods," Remus muttered, his eyelashes fluttering. "I'm close, love. So close."

Hermione hummed around him and a low purring-growl emitted from the werewolf, his hands tightening in her hair and his hips jerking as though he wanted to take control and fuck her mouth but knew better.

"So bloody good," Sirius was muttering, lapping at her when a gush of juices escaped her under his attentions.

"Ready, love?" Remus murmured, breath coming in sharp gasps now. Hermione sucked as hard as she could, surprising him and Remus gave a cry that turned into a soft howl when he exploded, pumping her mouth full of his essence. Hermione swallowed it down, delirious with pleasure to know she'd gotten them both off and inundated with even more pleasure thanks to Sirius's clever fingers and wicked tongue.

"I love it when he howls," Sirius was saying as he licked her.

Hermione released Remus carefully, holding onto his hips to keep him from staggering when his knees actually buckled and he almost ended up sitting on Sirius.

"Oi, wait your turn, Moony," Sirius protested before realising what was happening. Remus stepped back so he wasn't straddling her and Sirius didn't have to crouch between his legs.

Hermione flopped back onto the bed, overcome with the sensations as the Animagus ravished her all the more with better access. She could feel her heart pounding, her pussy throbbing, her tension coiling and building, ready to snap free. When it did she uttered a soft shriek of surprise, listening to Sirius's triumphant chuckle as she broke.

"Ungh," she hummed in contented delight and mild protest when Sirius licked her clit once more, lapping up every drop of her before he pressed a kiss to her mound and crawled up her body.

"Move over, Pads," Remus murmured, still panting from his orgasm but jostling his boyfriend aside and scooping Hermione into his arms and shifting her up the bed. Hermione didn't protest, boneless with delirium and contentment. When Remus had laid her in the middle of the bed, moving aside the albums and things still scattered there, he crawled down her body languidly, pausing to lavish each of her nipples lazily.

Hermine tangled her hands into his sandy hair, smiling softly when Sirius shuffled to move the clutter from the bed before he curled onto his side next to her, tracing the shape of her lips with the tip of his finger and watching her adoringly as Remus kissed his way south.

"I don't think I can do it again," Hermione murmured, lifting her head enough to meet green eyes threaded with gold when Remus kissed his way across her stomach and her mound.

"You can," he assured her, smirking wickedly. "And it's only fair that I repay the favour, darling."

Hermione smiled softly at him, a low whine leaving her lips when he burrowed into her hungrily, licking his lips wolfishly before he began devouring her. Hermione reached her free hand for Sirius who began toying with one of her nipples, seeming to enjoy watching Remus licking her out almost as much as he'd enjoyed doing so himself.

"Fucking hell, you're beautiful," he praised her when she arched against Remus's tongue, the werewolf licking and licking and licking and driving her out of her mind. Her body all the more sensitive after the first orgasm, she whined when he took her clit between his teeth, twisting it to one side gently and making sparkles of light burst behind her eyes.

"Gods, I can't…" Hermione said, a sob catching in her throat when Remus twisted her clit back the other way while burrowing two long fingers deep inside of her.

"You can, love," he promised, kissing her skin hungrily and lapping at her. Tension coiled tightly once more and Hermione screamed when he drove three fingers deep inside her, working her over and lapping at her juices as they gushed. She broke on his tongue, sparkles behind her eyes, magic pulsing through her core, making her ache and throb and flutter and clench all at the same time.

She lost consciousness from the power of it, a flash of bright white behind her eyes before her mind closed off.

 **~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~**

"Is she alright?" Remus asked of Sirius, watching the Animagus when he frowned suddenly, reaching for her.

"She…" Sirius frowned. "Hermione? Love?"

He gave her a little shake but she didn't respond.

"I think she passed out," Sirius said, glancing down at Remus carefully, shocked. Remus smirked at the idea before recalling this wasn't Mimi, who'd grown accustomed to being shared by the two of them and could handle the pleasure and the magic and the wildness of the three of them together.

"Bloody hell," Remus muttered, giving her one last lick, unable to resist cleaning up the last of her sweet cream before crawling back up her body. "Hermione? Wake up, love. Shit, Sirius!"

Sirius was frowning too, jostling her slightly.

"Come on, treasure, wake up," he murmured. "Maybe we pushed her a bit too hard."

"You think?" Remus asked. "What were you even thinking? We agreed that we would hold off on touching her after what happened when Harry joined the Pack."

"I… she snuck in while I was in my head," Sirius admitted softly. "Before I knew it I was kissing her and I tried to say it was a bad idea and we shouldn't but you know how persuasive she is."

"You're blaming her?" Remus asked.

"She's the one who said Molly would never know. She's the one who begged," Sirius shrugged.

"Ah, shoot," Remus sighed, resting his forehead against the middle of Hermione's chest, trying to think past the delirium the three of them together could always inspire. "We're going to hell for this, Pads."

"Because she's too young? She'll be sixteen in three weeks. With that time-turner she's closer to seventeen," Sirius argued.

"She's still too young, Pads. We agreed on that. She's certainly too young to handle the magical repercussions of shagging the two of us at the same time. She passed out!" Remus pointed out. "Damn it, Pads! I told her that she might need to warm up to shagging us by dating the twins. How's she going to be convinced to do that now when we've proven we're more than willing to devour her?"

"Didn't much like the idea of the twins touching her, anyway," Sirius grumbled.

"If they don't work her up to it, she'll pass out every time, Pads. You know that. It took us ages to get to the point with Mimi where we could actually share her completely without almost overloading her magical core. And we were both significantly less powerful back then. Hermione's not old enough to handle the magical transference that comes from sexual exchange, we've overloaded her core now."

"Not necessarily," Sirius countered, poking at Hermione to try and wake her up. "Maybe she was just overwhelmed by the orgasm. Some girls do pass out from pleasure."

Remus shot him a deadpan expression, not believing that for a second.

"Mi, come on, love. Wake up," Sirius was saying, leaning in and kissing her cheeks and across her nose, trying to rouse her.

Remus shook his head, thinking that they were definitely going to hell. Just as he was about to try a spell to revive her, Hermione jerked slightly under him, her eyes opening. She blinked in confusion at the pair of them for a minute, a slow smile slipping across her face when she realised just where she was and whom she'd just committed such acts with.

"Why are you both frowning at me worriedly?" she wanted to know, her voice thick with sleepy contentment.

"You fainted," Remus informed her.

"Oh," she said, blushing a little at the idea. "How embarrassing. Well, at least you know you're gifted, right?"

Sirius snorted at her words.

"Are you feeling alright?" Remus asked her. "We shouldn't have done that. The sex-magic has likely overloaded your magical core. Do you feel dizzy?"

"Um… I don't think…. Oh, bugger!" she suddenly exclaimed, her eyes widening.

"What?" Remus and Sirius both asked, eyes wide with worry as they watched her.

"I swallowed my mandrake leaf!" Hermione lamented. "Bollocks! I was so close to the month mark, too! Does this mean I have to start again and hold the new one for an entire month?"

Remus stared at her, slowly shaking his head in disbelief while a soft grunt of amusement escaped Sirius.

"Yeah, Mi. It does," he chuckled. "But that's alright. You can last the full month and just push the transformation back a bit. I didn't much like the idea of you trying it for the first time all by yourself, anyway."

Hermione looked put out by the idea of having to start again.

"Do you have fresh ones so I can start now?" she asked, looking over at Sirius, who'd been keeping the leaves hidden in his things to prevent Molly from finding them or catching on.

Sirius grinned, nodding as he got off the bed, fixing his pants as he went to fetch one of the leaves for her. Hermione turned her eyes on Remus and he watched the way she searched his face carefully.

"You're angry with me?" she asked gently, raising her eyebrows.

"No," he shook his head, sighing. "Just worried about you. You're sure you don't feel dizzy or anything?"

Hermione shook her head. "I feel sleepy, though," she admitted. "And a bit… exposed. Feels nice with you on top of me."

Remus smiled at her softly, shifting to press a kiss to the middle of her chest.

"Do you want your clothes back?" he offered politely.

"Not really," she replied, a wicked little grin slipping across her face. "But I suppose I _should_ put them back on. Thank you for…"

Remus grinned at her. "Anytime, love. And thank you, too. I wasn't expecting to come home to _that_."

"Glad you did though, aren't you?" Sirius said, returning to the bed and handing Hermione a leaf. She tucked it under her tongue, looking annoyed about having to start over with the leaf.

"I don't want to go back to school tomorrow," Hermione confessed, curling one of her legs around Remus's hip and reaching for Sirius when she flopped back down on the bed beside her.

"I don't want you to go," Sirius agreed. "Any of you. Going to be awfully quiet in this place without you lot running around."

"It's for the best, and it's unavoidable," Remus sighed, pressing another kiss to her chest. "You have classes to study for and _we_ have to be removed from your presence for the sake of persevering a little dignity, I think."

"Why must you always ruin things with your logic, Remus?" Sirius grumbled.

"Because she's not yet sixteen, Pads. And because you and I, old fuckers that we are, are twenty years older than her. That's frowned upon no matter what, but while she's still in school? Still a teenager? We'll both be tossed in jail for touching her!"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Already been, mate. And I'm never going back."

"You will if we're caught," Remus said.

"So keep your trap shut, stupid," Sirius said.

Hermione shook her head at the two of them as they continued to bicker, her mind feeling floaty and light with contentment. She was tired now, her body sated and her heart singing. Closing her eyes, Hermione let the sounds of their voices as they talked carry her away and before she knew it, she was asleep in their arms.


End file.
